ISN EST50



The EST50 is my second IEM from ISN, I bought it with my own money. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after using them for over many months, and I have no association with ISN writing this. This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. I can describe something as natural sounding, while at the same time I believe we can never get 100% close to a live performance.

About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with sub and mid bass boost, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some extra treble if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string and wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current standard in IEMs is AüR Audio Neon Pro and Penon Serial. The Neon Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me. The Penon Serial also has a near perfect tonality for me, that is more relaxing and organic sounding with its triple DD configuration.
Both of them have sound signatures that I can listen to all types of music with.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have also used the Feliks Audio Echo, one of the more silent OTL amps.

Portable gear used during the review: Truthear SHIO, Tempotec Sonata HD II , Hiby R6 III, Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022, Quidelix 5k DAC/AMP.

I have a good range of cables from ISN, DUNU, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS and some others.



ISN Audio

ISN Audio is a brand under Penon, they have a wide range of both cables and IEMs.
When you read around on the forums about ISN, you will notice that people say that ISN is IEMs with a bold and solid low end. While this has some truth, both the latest H30 and H50 have a more balanced sound.

https://isnaudio.com/
https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-est50.html

ISN D01 6mm DLC DD
ISN D02 10mm Carbon Chrystal DD
ISN D10 9mm DD
ISN H30 9.2mm Beryllium Frosted DD Bass + 2 BAs mids and highs
ISN H40 9.2mm DD + 1 BAs Mids + 2 BAs Highs
ISN H50 10mm Composite DD + 2BAs Mids + 2BAs Highs
ISN EST50 10mm DD + 1 BA Mids + 1 BA Highs+ 2 EST Ultra Highs


They also have cables from cheaper models to their top model the ISN Solar.



So what is the ISN EST50

The EST50 is a tribrid, meaning it has 3 different types of driver technologies inside.
The low end is handled by the 10mm Dynamic Driver. Mids are handled by a Sonion BA. Highs is handled by a Knowles BA.

This alone could have been an IEM, but here there are also 2 EST(Electrostatic) Drivers to create some extra upper treble or air as it is called.

They are built with the same resin and form factor as most Penon and ISN models, and you can choose from the normal color or the stabilized Wood Orange as I have.

The shell is quite big and has a nice ergonomic form factor, I can use them for hours without any ear pain. The length of the nozzle is above average, so for me it gives a perfect seal with most tips.

ISN Audio EST50 Flagship 2 EST + 2 BA+ 1 Dynamic Driver Hybrid 2Pin 0.78mm HiFi Audiophile IEMS

Specification

Brand:ISN Audio
Model: EST50
2 Sonion Electrostatic driver for ultra-high frequency
1BA Knowles for high frequency
1BA Sonion for middle frequency
10mm dynamic for bass
Rated input power: 2mW
Max input power: 3mW
Impedance: 18ohm±10%(@1kHz)
Sensitivity: 100±3dB(@1kHz)
Frequency response: 15Hz-70kHz
Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm
Plug: 3.5mm audio , 2.5mm balanced , 4.4mm balanced
Cable length: 1.2M
Warranty

18 months warranty





Package and accessories

The packaging has this blue chrome finish that looks quite nice, the inside has foam keeping the IEMs in place and the overall presentation looks good.

There are not that many accessories, you get 1 set of S, M and L silicon tips together with S and M foam(not sure about the size but the foams are small and not usable for me). The included silicone tips are actually one of my favorite tips, a good balance between openness and giving some tightness in the low end.

The included cable is the ISN S8, this is a cheap but good cable to get you going. It is an OCC cable with silver plating. The included cable does nothing wrong, but I have changed it out for a more premium cable. Soundwise the S8 is ok, but it feels a little cheap compared to the S4 they also sell.

The blue ISN Case is a good one, with a magnetic clip to hold it together. It is not very big and you can maybe fit a small dongle together with ES50 inside it.

There is nothing wrong with what is included, while some extra tips or a better cable would have been appreciated.



How does the EST50 sound like?

First impressions were different from what I hear now, this is one of the sets that has changed the most with burn in for me. At first it was more V shaped than L in its sound signature, the EST drivers did have a certain edge to them.

I would call the EST50 a bold, smooth and fun IEM. The bass is elevated and especially sub bass, mids are more neutral in approach, treble detailed and fairly neutral.
This is a sound signature that is called L-shaped, the star of the show is the bass that is elevated while the mids and treble are in harmony with each other. The mids are neutral in amount, and it increases slowly up into the upper mids so it is never fatiguing for me.

This reminds me of when you have some good non fatiguing speakers paired with a big subwoofer. And the subwoofer is cranked up a little to give some extra low end, it is very addictive and fun.

That is basically what the EST50 is, it is not correct if you ask many. But one thing is for sure, it is very fun.

Music genres are also a thing here, not everything will sound perfect with a sound signature like this. At the same time the EST50 is good at not pushing out bass when it is not supposed to, since the most boosted area is the sub frequencies. It works with most of my music library, while the genre I prefer the most with the EST50 is electronica.


Going to use the ranges here in review:






Timbre
First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

The timbre of the EST50 is a little weird. The mids and treble has a timbre that is clean,modern ,fast and also a little relaxed. While the low end has a more organic forward sound. This does melt together well enough so I don't think about it when listening to music. I do believe this is due to the bass being handled by a dynamic driver and the mids and trebles being handled by BAs. Two different technologies. BAs from my testing, are always more modern and clean sounding compared to Dynamic Drivers. But I know there are exceptions out there where it melt better together than with EST50.








Gear and cable synergies

The sense of scaling is clearly here and they deserve a higher end AMP or DAP. While even a small dongle will give you good sound, the amount of finesse with higher end gear does push it higher.

I do prefer a neutral to slightly warm sounding source, the Topping E70 and A90D is one of those combos. Often people just think about numbers when getting Topping gear, this DAC and AMP combo is one of those combos that has a sound that's a very neutral with small hint analogue touch. It is a great combination and pushes the EST50 capabilities over a standard dongle.

As for dongle pairing the Tempotec Sonata HD MKII is more musical sounding compared to the Truthear SHIO. While the SHIO gives out the most detailed and fullest sound with the EST50.

Hiby R6 III does also sound great, I have no need for using the MSEB equalizer.

Also a little mention of pairing with the Feliks Audio Echo OTL amp. The lows goes from being sub bass oriented to having more mid bass, while the mids and treble gets thicker and darker sounding. Quite a fun combo to use for slower metal genres, or to get a more rave-like sound in electronica.

Got recommended the Penon Mix Cable, and I agree on the very good synergies. While I still prefer going for a good Silver Plated Cable, I don't feel the need for the extra treble with the Mix. Even the stock cable ISN S8 does nothing wrong, while a thicker and better cable is well appreciated and deserving of the EST50.

Also I just recently got the Penon Vocal cable, this cable does push forward the mids and perhaps the lower treble. Here we talk about a perfect combination of IEM and cable, this is clearly my favorite combo. Even though I am not a fan of the design.




Details, Soundstage and Imaging

Details on the EST50 are on par with Hybrids or Tribrids around the price, nothing spectacular but nothing wrong either. Imaging is quite spot on and very 3D, where I can pick apart where sounds are appearing with ease. I have also tested playing some First Person Shooter games, very easy to pick up where shots or footsteps are coming from. While the more relaxing treble and increased bass takes away some accuracy for gaming. I would say this is a perfect set for story games, as the sub bass does give you the cinema feel of a subwoofer.

Soundstage is like sitting a few rows back from a performance. Depth is slightly forward out from the head while sounds coming from the sides are above the average width.




Strive by Amber Rubarth

This whole album is a recording that has a wide and large soundstage. Strive is a very nice track to test deltail, imaging and soundstage.

EST50 is larger than most IEMs I have listened to here, the soundstage is more wide sounding than having large depth. Even with my ZMF Verite that has an above average soundstage the stage here is more wide than deep.

Very good layering with good 3D capability of where the sound cues come from. Here I do notice much of the small details, I would have believed it was lost in the EST50 due to relaxed treble nature. The drumming and clapping is quite spectacular with some very nice impact that you truly feel, very fun to turn up the volume on this one.




Thriller by Michael Jackson

Brilliant track to test everything from bass, mids, treble, soundstage, dynamic range and detail.

First thing that happened here is I have my whole body moving, the whole track is a masterpiece on EST50. If the ZMF Verite is the standard here for me, I do lack a little amount of energy in the treble. Looking at the imaging ability, EST50 does it well. The sound cues are all over, you get a good sense of being inside the recording. Michael Jackson's voice appears slightly in front of you instead of directly in the head. While the sound cues to the sides are rather far out.



City Nights by Allan Holdsworth

Jazz Fusion, the electric guitar and drums here is fast and technical. Some sets with too much energy in the Upper Mids can be quite tiresome on this track, while darker sets will sound dull. Again the EST50 hits this just perfect, never fatiguing or boring. It just sounds right. The amount of detail is very impressive, if the mid bass had been elevated to much some of the detail would have been lost here. It just sounds very balanced to my ears, with great detail.




Bass, the star of the show?

I appreciate a punchy low end with good extension, and at times I do want it elevated over what is neutral. I can also enjoy the true bass head experience, but then it comes back to what type of music I listen to and my mood.

The amount of bass here is bold, more in the sub bass range than mid bass. The bass shelf starts in the lowest part of the mids, then rises slowly almost linearly.

I was very curious when getting the EST50 how the bass shelf would look, Tony(Akros) got his set after me. We had a chat and he sent me the measurements, it shows what I heard. The bass just grows upwards until the lowest Sub Bass, while not boosting the mid bass too much. Some well known bass IEMs increase the bass early, then flat out around 100Hz. Making you want more Sub Bass as the “Mid Bass” takes the show. I prefer the EST50 approach as it goes better with more music genres, this also gives less bleed into the mids.



Angel by Massive Attack

Very good track to see how good it handles sub bass slam and how deep the low end goes. This is goosebump material if you like bass, the control and amount is perfect. The whole track is rendered excellent, from the vocal to the distorted guitar. The intensity that builds up at the end feels effortless and never feels congested, and the last bass kicks at the end can rattle your brain.




Something About Us (Love Theme from Interstella) by Daft Punk

Who doesn't like some Daft Punk, could have picked lots of tracks from them. But I am very fond of this in particular, there's a nice drum kick around 50HZ and one at 150Hz making the beat. You are supposed to hear the difference and again the EST50 renders this perfect, the balance between the Sub kick and Bass Kick is in harmony here. Not one sticks out. Nothing to complain about.



So What by Miles Davis

Blasphemy, how can I listen to such a classic jazz piece with a basshead IEM? That's the thing, the overall tuning does not push the low end too much forward when it is not asked for. The double bass is the one thing to listen for here, a lot of nuance is his plucking of the strings. The double bass should never be the main thing as plucking of a double bass will always be less loud than the cymbals, sax and trumpet. Here is what I said before, the bass is there not trying to steal the show. EST50 shows the bass notes, while I could have preferred some more detail in the plucking.



Mids


Very often with elevated bass the mids get overshadowed by the low end. Or get a bass bleed for that matter. Since many said on Head-Fi that ISN is more V shaped brand than its brother Penon, I was happy to get the EST50 and hear clear natural mids. Perhaps a little gentle compared to a more forward mid centric sound of Penon Serial.

This approach being more neutral in mid energy makes vocals and instruments never become harsh or too intense. Male voice has some extra fullness due to the bass, something I prefer for male voices.

Going up into the Mid frequency I can hear some slight uneven energy If I listen to a rising tone, still we do not listen to music like that and it is never hearable through music. The upper mid range or lower treble area has some slightly boosted energy compared to the mids before.



Show You The Way by Thundercat

The whole album is a gem, this track is picked due to having a wide range of vocal presentations. As I mentioned before the male voice has some extra fullness, this is a track I personally do not like if you listen to a reference neutral set. I probably had this song on repeat for 10 times while trying to write here, I find the whole presentation close to perfect.

I can find the bass beat to be a little over the top when I increase the volume, but at the same time it's fun and addicting. What impressed me the most is how well the EST50 does the vocals here, if you own the EST50 take a listen and be impressed.



Songs from the North by Swallow The Sun

Swallow the Sun usually makes melodic doom metal, disc 2 on this release is not really Metal. It is focusing more on a relaxed listening with melodic acoustic music. This track has both instruments, male and female voice.

The EST50 makes the drums and guitar sound crisp. Not forward in the mix, well balanced together with both the vocalists. Both the low Mids and Mids are well balanced here, while still having enough energy in the upper mids not making it lifeless. I personally prefer some extra presence in the upper mid range so the EST50 is very close to my preference here.

If I would be very critical, I could have liked the vocals a small amount more forward here.



Mexican Margarita by Jacob Guerevitsch

Introduced to me by my friend Akros.
Jacob is a Danish artist who plays Spanish guitar. Lots of detail, dynamic range and complexity. I prefer to put Mexican Margarita in this part of the review, since most of the sounds here are in the midrange.

Wow, just wow. This is so dynamic and impressive, I prefer this piece on sets with a dynamic driver for its low end. It just makes the drumming sound more real, and the guitar is very crisp with lots of detail.

What impresses most here is how natural and good it all sounds, there is some extra fullness than what I would call a reference sound. But I Like it this way more, it is intoxicating.




Treble and Air

Treble is a little relaxed to me while still keeping itself detailed, there is a nice anti sibilance dip from 5-8KHz. Treble sensitive people should be safe. Unless I can handle brighter signatures better than others, I do love Beyerdynamic headphones after all.

The amount of treble extension is quite good, the presence of the upper harmonics is there. While some may be wanting more when listening to classical music, I am not the perfect judge for classical.

The treble is not meant to be the star of the show with EST50, I bet this is something of the tuning philosophy of the maker for the IEM. It is detailed enough so it does not sound veiled or dark, while also not stealing the show. If the treble were more forward the overall sound would have changed to amore typical V shaped sound. But this does not mean it lacks detail in the treble.




Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Perhaps one of the most recognised Jazz pieces out there, even with being recorded back in 1959 it sounds so clear and crisp. Perfect for checking how clean the cymbals and brass is portrayed. There is also some good airyness going on here through the cymbals.

The EST50 portrays more than enough detail while also being relaxing, there some good detail in each cymbal strike. Amount of Air is also clearly present and above what for example the DUNU SA6 can show here.

It is remarkable that the EST50 can be this relaxing while retaining so much detail, I also never feel the bass is overdone ruining the rest.



Humming by Portishead

Another on Head-fi recommended my try this some years ago when I was testing a headphone for how fatiguing the treble is. It has lots of weird elements, and sounds almost trippy. There are lots of unpleasant sounds that are shown if the treble is too forward or harsh.

From testing it on a loop for a long time there is no fatigue, nothing in particular sticks out as a problem area. Also nice hearing how well all the sounds melt together on EST50 without feeling congested.



Towards the Bending of the Light by Yamantaka

Percussion elements here are nice to check how clear and how extended the amount of air is. Again a little above average, well extended but not the sparkle that some are looking for. For me there is no problem as I am not the biggest fan of exaggerated air, at least as long as there is some detail going on.






Comparisons

I do not own any other tribrid for comparison, I will only compare to my reference sets Serial, Neon Pro and the H30.







Penon Serial

The Penon Serial is an IEM with 3 Dynamic Drivers, one for bass, mids and highs. The set is highly recommended by many people. Priced a little lower than EST50, a very musical IEM with great timbre. The Serial is natural, bold and sensual sounding.

If the EST50 are some good speakers with a 12 inch subwoofer that's cranked up, the Serial is more like the big vintage speakers with 12 inch woofers. One clean and modern
sounding with elevated low end, while the other having a more analogue bold sound.

The overall sound and timbre is more modern in EST50, very similar to how it is when comparing a modern Yamaha upright piano to a Kawai. Both are great while one will sound better with some arrangements than the other.

The amount of sub bass is more in quantity with the EST50, the rest of the bass is similar in amount with some extra mid bass in the Serial. As for how the low end resolution is, the EST50 can slightly pick up more nuances in double bass playing. Both have a bass approach that has slower decay compared to for example the Penon FAN 2 or the Dunu SA6.

Mids are more forward in Serial and thicker sounding, vocals are more easy on the ears and relaxing with EST50. Female vocals especially have a more forward and romantic sound with Serial.

Treble detail and resolution is going to the EST50, having also the most treble extension.

Soundstage does seem wider in the EST50, while the Serial wins in how forward it appears. I Do wonder if it is because of the wideness of EST50, making it stand out more than the forward depth.

Both have great timbre, but here I will give it to the Serial as it does sound more true to life.

Can read my whole review over at:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/penon-serial.25604/reviews#review-30129



AüR Audio Neon Pro

Neon Pro is a IEM from AüR Audio that has 10 balanced armatures per side, it is my favorite set and my standard in tonality.

When checking a true sub bass track like the Mezzanine you notice some differences here. The amount is more and also looser on the EST50, and it seems to be in more control on Neon Pro. Neon Pro also sounds to me more natural in the decay since EST50 is on the slower side. The upper bass kick hits harder on Neon Pro while the amount is very similar.
The detail in the bass notes is perhaps slightly more detailed on EST50.

The EST50 is more like a stereo speaker setup with a 12 inch open vented subwoofer backing it up that is also turned up some, Neon Pro is more like a high end modern speaker setup with big drivers giving fast and punchy but with elevated low end.

Vocals are very similar, it can appear slightly warmer on EST50 but it is small. When listening to a track with only instruments it is not as easy to differentiate the mids. It is first when entering the upper part of the mids that you notice they are less forward on EST50, this you can also see at FQ measurement of EST50 since it has a gentle Pina Gain. This also makes the EST50 very safe if you're sensitive to upper midrange energy. Neon Pro has a more natural amount of upper mid range and does acoustic music more justice.

Treble is similar in amount, but what's weird is that even with EST50s EST drivers the amount of upper treble is more detailed and forward on Neon Pro. It is also smoother on Neon pro especially in the lower treble. For air I can not really differentiate them, it can be that ISN have not implemented the EST drivers well enough. Or that Neon Pro is just that good.

Overall resolution is good with both, I do put the Neon Pro a good step ahead. I do notice more detail especially in the mids and treble.

Soundstage with the Neon Pro has the same amount of depth to the sides but can also portray more depth in front. Especially on the Amber Rubarth album the sense of space is more vast on Neon Pro, there is more blackness to the background making it seem endless.
There is also very good layering that is above most cheaper sets with both.

Can read my whole review over at:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aür-audio-neon-pro.26395/reviews?fbclid=IwAR0d5j87HTND_YR89EdqLIzHIjxXGUvFxHME9jjNo3MsDDx-Uoqfyd_z4to#review-30495




ISN H30

Why the H30, it is also an ISN and the first IEM I got from ISN. It is a hybrid with 1 DD and 2 BAs priced at $129. I use the H30 almost daily at work and it has some similarities to the EST50.

Both have an ergonomic fit with a long nozzle for great isolation and secure fit. The overall shell is much smaller on H30, but I don't think about the size as both are made very ergonomically.

Bass is very well extended on H30, it even rises almost the same. Both increase gradually all the way to the lowest rumble. The big difference here is in the low end, the EST50 has around 12dB increased sub bass while the H30 ends at 5dB. A few at Head-Fi had problems with not hearing the bass with the H30, with a good seal it is very well defined with really good extension. it is just the amount that is on the lean side.

Both have very similar midrange, the H30 vocals and instruments can at times appear slightly more forward and detailed. The mids on EST50 appear smoother and more refined, especially on a few sax or trumpet parts.

Going up into the upper midrange/ lower treble is where it changes. H30 has some extra energy around 5-7k Hz, this can be fatiguing for some depending on how sensitive you are to this range. it is not sibilant, but the energy is clearly forward. EST50 is much more relaxed here in comparison.

Upper treble is well extended on both, the electrostatic drivers do give the EST50 more refinement in the upper range.

Also a note on soundstage. The H30 is really good for its price, but compared to the EST50 it is a step back in size and resolution.



Summary


EST50 is a coloured set that is not correct when looking at perfect instrument playback, but a smooth and clean sounding set with a deep subwoofer like experience. It is addictive and makes me smile from ear to ear.

This is not the one IEM to rule them all, but rather the fun set to have in your collection. Not the set for the ones who prefer a neutral amount of bass, if so look somewhere else.

I do recommend it, is it worth its asking price? For me, yes. For others maybe not. If I lost it would I buy it again, without a doubt yes.

Ranking System

1 Very bad or unlistanable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

Price can push something up or down half grade.

If I think about electronica music I will give this 4.5 of 5 stars, but for some other genres maybe only 3.5 stars. So in the end 4 star is very adequate.

If you're looking for your audiophile basshead experience, this will maybe be the one for you.

Sound Rhyme DTE900



Disclaimer

The DTE900 is my first IEM from Sound Rhyme, I bought it with my own money with a small discount. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts, after having used DTE900 for some weeks.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current standard in IEMs is AüR Audio Neon Pro and AüR Audio Aurora. The NEON Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me on the brighter side. AüR Audio Aurora 2 DD + 6 BA has the best bass quality I have tried in an IEM, while not taking over the mids and showing very natural sound.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
Portable gear used during the review is Cayin N7, Penon Tail, Hiby R6 III, FIIO BTR7.
I have a good range of cables from ISN, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS, DUNU, Effect Audio and Gladiator Cables.



Who is Sound Rhyme

Sound Rhyme as I understand is made by Xiamen Yunjun Electronic Technology Co. , Ltd. They specialize in production and processing of earphones, be it custom, universal or wireless. They also make accessories and cables, they also make IEMs for many other brands out there.

Current Sound Rhyme IEM models:
SR1 - 1DD
SR5 - 1DD + 4BA
SR4 - 4BA
SR7 - 1DD + 6BA
SR8 - 14BA
DTE500 - 1DD + 2BA + 2EST
DTE900 - 1DD + 4BA + 4EST



So what is the DTE900 model

The DTE900 is the newest IEM from Sound Rhyme, it has a tribrid configuration consisting of 1DD + 4BA + 4EST.

The DTE900 is built with high grade resin in an ergonomic shell of high quality. Nozzle is made of metal, and is fairly long. Combination makes it very comfortable for me, even if the size of the shell is on the big side.

The presentation in the box is fairly nice, you get a nice silver plated cable that is modular. No need to upgrade this one, unless you're like me and a little cable obsessed.

You get two storage boxes, the puck box where the IEMs sit. And the more traditional storage case. As for tips you get a set of silicon and some foams, the silicon is actually a great one that I have gotten on plenty of other IEMs also.

Looking at specs, build and price the DTE900 is a very good deal.

My model is a custom design, so if you buy it stock it will look different. Or you can choose the design you like for some extra.



Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

Main comparison is with both switches, unless I say otherwise.

The DTE900 has energetic and forward timbre, and all the ranges from bass, mids and treble are forward and clear. But would still not say the sound is neutral, it's more of a w shaped sound. Most music I play sounds correct, but has a little extra fun and forwardness compared to neutral IEM.

Going to use the ranges here in review:



Details and soundstage

First of all the resolution on the DTE900 is exceptional, it has superb details be it in the bass, mids, treble or just how good the soundstage is. If you go from a cheaper id tier set up to this yoo\u will be pleased by the increased detail level.

Soundstage is larger than most sets, it has extra good width and also depth forward. If most sets position sound between your ears or right in front of you, this pushes it further away and wider out. I would say it's more oval than spherical, but even so the forwardness is awesome also.
This goes also for the layering and imaging, I find plenty of layers in both the height width and depth. Perhaps one of the best sets I have tried when looking at staging of the soundstage, to be an IEM it has a more speaker-like presentation. Still this is an IEM and not speakers, but in comparison to most out there.

Bass

The bass of DTE900 is big and fast, but even so it doesn't take over the music too much. Some of this due to how the rest of the DTE900 is tuned.
Sub bass reaches low without drop off, and can both rumble or slam with authority. Some of this due to how fast and visceral the bass of the DTE900 is, I would classify the speed close to how BA is. But it has slightly more natural decay that dynamic drivers have, but still it is super fast.

The mid bass it's also boosted and gives music that more full and lush sound, I always favor mid bass being slightly boosted. Downside for some will be that the bass does go into the mids, in return you also get richer vocals.

Mids

Midrange on the DTE900 is forward, no way to deny that. Vocal range and instruments are all clear and forward with added thickness to them. Personally I most often prefer this, when I have more sets in front of me I most often reach for the rich sounding ones.

Male vocals are less noticeable than females on the thicker sound, but also on females it depends on the artist or style. This is actually very reminiscent of how the Penon IEMs have their midrange, forward and emotional.

Instruments are also affected, but it never sounds wrong. It just has this rich nature to it, I also think the fast sound helps it not sound sluggish or too thick. If you have seen measurements of the DTE900 it has a fairly elevated upper midrange, I would in most sets avoid this. But for some reason it works perfectly in the DTE900 just making it super resolving.
I have a feeling the BAs used for the upper midrange are of very good quality, as they remain detailed and forward without the usual BA glare many IEMs have.

Be it string, wind or percussion it all have nuanced and great realism to it. Listening to piano playing there is no range that sounds lacking, it just seems detailed, forward and balanced.

Treble

The highs on DTE900 are detailed and resolving, and have plenty of air that sounds just correct and not fake. Also has that shimmer when cymbals are hit, not recessed or dull. Same for violins or other instruments that are very affected by lack of treble or air.

I would call the amount of treble natural on the DTE900, it's in great harmony with the rest and is not tiresome forward or relaxed.
I guess if you're sensitive to upper midrange the amount of treble may seem lacking as the upper midrange is pronounced.

It has an amount of sibilance dip I am a big fan of, some sets have too big of a dip. When the dip is too big it also removes lots of soul and detail from the music. The amount in DTE900 is very reminiscent of my Neon Pro, sibilance is removed but not overly so. So music already with sibilance will show it, while neutral music will not gain it due to the set. In general a balanced amount.



Synergies

A small part about what gear I have been enjoying the most with the DTE900.

Most of my listening has been done with HIBY R6 Pro 2, Cayin N7 and Topping E70/A90 Discrete, my favorite pairing being R6 Pro 2 and A90 Discrete together. As in the DAC portion of R6P2 AKM into the A90 Discrete as amplifier. This combo is extremely detailed and musical, not too sharp or thin.

N7 was also great but pushed the treble forward to my liking.

As for cables, I did a cable review for Effect Audio at the same time. I have used the cables from them the most during the review, in general I find copper the best pairing with DTE900.
Perhaps my favorite goes to Ares S 8W or Cadmus 8W, my Gladiator Silver Palladium also being great.








Music

I will just talk about some of the music I like, the music I use here are some of my reference tracks and also just some I like. When I am listening to music and not evaluating, I prefer to listen to whole albums. When comparing DTE900 to other sets I have used the tracks listed here and more.
Using both switches down when evaluating, I have also used the same Silver Plated Copper when evaluating the sets. Same for tips used being the same Kbear07 on both sets, and lastly I have used a mic to set volume the same on both sets.

L'Impératrice - Voodoo?​

French group who have many catchy and fun albums, this is from the 2021 album Tako Tsubo. Album is a mix of electronic, pop and disco.

The bass is energetic and fun on Voodoo?, DTE900 manages to punch and be dynamic. Hard to not start moving to the rhythm here, not the most advanced bass line. But it's punchy and has a slower sound to it, for me personally it has just the correct amount of fullness to the low end with DTE900.

She is very nuanced and has a fuller sound to her, in a way forward and very addicting. Same for the instruments and keyboard, it's very in focus and forward. There are also subtle sound elements going through the song that are more easy to hear here over less resolving IEMs.



Gamma Intel - Nonchalance

Electronic artist from Rotterdam in Netherlands, has impressive and technical music. This is also a fairly new artist for me to get into my listening rotation, while track here is just me checking for bass performance in electronica. I always have some electronic tracks when checking gear, the track Nonchalance is perfect for me to check for bass amount. If the set has much upper energy it needs enough bass to balance it out.

The DTE900 has nuanced and tactile bass performance, as for the amount it is close to perfect. Since the upper range of DTE900 is forward I could have wished for maybe 3-5dB more bass to make it perfect, but this would have made it less balanced. So it passes the bass amount test.



Yello - Kiss in Blue

Maybe my favorite track from Yello, rhythmic instruments and intimate vocals. Perhaps the perfect track for showing what the Aure is capable of doing. The bass beat hits hard and drags you into the music, then Heidi pulls you more in with a sensual voice.

The opening of the track has an epic bassline, it's full and dynamic. The DTE900 is impressive here, and if I were to complain is that I prefer a slower DD for this. But it's still spectacular and nuanced, how it changes the structure in each hit is shown fully.

Both Dieter and Heidi are perfect, I could not have wished for anything else from the DTE900. He is full sounding and emotionally shown, changes in his voice are clearly shown. Same goes for Heidi, she is forward and full sounding. Not too thick, just forward and adds to the emotional character. Seducing you with her voice.



Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

I love this new album from Lana Del Ray, this track is slow and emotional. I have used it more and more lately for testing gear, its recorded well and has great dynamic range.

The DTE900 adds some soul to her voice, she gets pushed forward slightly over neutral IEMs. This also means that the bass goes into the midrange, as graphs show it's the gliding style. Personally I'm a big fan of this style of bass touching into mids, it just makes vocals more lush and emotional.

There is full emotion on Lana Del Ray, nothing is really spared or lacks energy here. There is also never any sibilance of any sort. The extra vocals have some nice spatial cues to them, showing also how wide and spacious the DTE900 is.

The background instruments like piano or drums are in the background, but what I hear sounds correct and nice. I mainly only use this track for her voice.




TOOL - Schism

One of my favorite tracks ever, also where I got introduced to TOOL back in high school.

Bass of DTE900 sits very well with prog rock or metal, and even if it goes into midrange it still doesn't sound congested or slow.
Drums and bass guitar is nice and quick, not veiling the track into too much boosted bass.
Guitars are detailed and energetic, and you hear every note being played.
His singing is detailed and has very correct note weight not being shallow or too thick, has resolving capability from when he is going easy to aggressive.

If there is one thing to complain about, it is that it's energetic. And for some it might be too much forward energy here. Using tips that dampen the upper range helps, and also using a pure good copper cable. My favorite IEM for prog metal is my Neon Pro, but I think DTE900 rides along and depending on the album this would be my pick instead. But for Schism I would pick Neon Pro as it's slightly more relaxed.



Guru Guru - Woman Drum

First off, the only reason I have this in review is since a fellow DTE900 owner asked me to check the guitar here. He felt it was too sharp for him. What I clearly learned is that I am not as sensitive as others to this range where the electrical guitar is. Or it's just since my set had much more playtime down to relax down the upper range.

It's an older recording that is more bright and not the best recorded either, not the widest dynamic range either. As for DTE900 I think it does it really well, giving the instruments some good bite. DTE900 showing off. If I test the same track with EST50 it lacks bite and is boring, not that it plays it wrong.



Polyphia - Playing God

Polyphia is a instrumental progressive rock group formed in Texas, earlier works were more into metal also.Often they blend different styles of music into their works.
Playing God is an instrumental track with drums, bass guitar and two guitars with nylon strings. Its technical and super euphonic, also show how technical and nuanced the DTE900 is. It's also where the high energy of the DTE900 is perfect, less and it's slightly boring for my taste. It's not so long ago since I heard about Polyphia, I had heard the song now and then when it came on the radio. But never wrote down what it's called, found it again this year, and have used much of their work for evaluating gear. This track has that ability for me to listen to it one time and I probably know if a set is for me or not.

First of the guitars sound spectacular here, and have an especially unique tonality since they shred on nylon strings instead. Nothing is spared on DTE900, it just portrays every slap or pluck perfectly. As for tonality, DTE900 forward nature makes this more melodic and relaxed track have more bite. Cymbal crashes have great energy, the drums in general are great.

As for soundstage its very holographic and sense of width is quite amazing on DTE900, lots of layerings to the instruments and where they place.



David Sanborn - Comin’ Home Baby

One of my favorite Alto sax players, he has a beautiful and smooth sound on his Alto. Having played sax I appreciate the skilled players out there like David, he has lots of skill and can play very soft and mellow to be on an alto.

I often listen to jazz with brass instruments when evaluating audio, first of just to see how beautiful and real it sounds. Second to hear if it's too forward and shrill, on this track it's fairly mellow so most sets will not sound shrill. The DTE900 passes it perfectly here, riding just at the edge of not pushing the sax forward into the unpleasant zone.
The upper midrange on DTE900 makes nothing being spared in detail or soul of the sax playing.
While I use this track often for sax, I also listen to everything. The guitar, bass, drums or synth everything has nice tonality and is shown for full on DTE900. This track in particular is on the soft side, so the forward DTE900 suits it perfectly. As an example if I go to Isn't She Lovely, track 5 on the album. This is a much more forward sounding track, and the DTE900 does push it too far where it's not pleasant. This also shows why some prefer more relaxed sets for jazz, as many albums have that forward energy. Especially on brass instruments like trumpet or sax.



Hart, Wolff & Hennings - Towards the Bending of the Heart

This song is a very odd one, and it has one purpose for me, checking the amount of air in a set.
Percussions are used here making harmonics up in the air region, this shows if a set got more air up top. Unless you have reduced hearing in the upper ranges,you might not notice the air detail. For me the DTE900 is above average than what I have tried in other IEMs. While some sets are more, the DTE900 is not lacking anything.





Comparisons

I have chosen 2 other tribrids that are both cheaper than DTE900, as I don't have any tribrid in the same price range.

The spider chart is slightly exaggerated on some points to show differences.





Penon 10th

I got the Penon 10th on loan from a good friend, I never bought it myself due to design. Penon 10th is also a tribrid, with 2DD, 2BA and 2EST. Priced at 499$, sits within the same price range as many other tribrids. The two dynamic drivers are 6mm and work together in making the low end. If I ignore that the design is ugly, the build itself is not the best. Shell looks cheap and thin, it also has a weird nozzle that is short compared to the large body. Result is that the IEM is not the most comfortable to use.

Bass on the 10th is good, I am not denying that it has a nice texture and is loud and big. Where I am not very satisfied with is how it slam and moves air, it's slow and soft. For some this can be perfect, as it does give you a warm cozy and closed in feel. When listening to DTE900 you will notice it slam much harder and is of cleaner nature, they are more on the opposite of each other. Both are nuanced and detailed, while the one with the most dynamic expression from cello or over to fast kick drums is clearly the DTE900. So 10th will have that more cozy and slow bass, while DTE900 will be the energetic and fast performer.

The mids on 10th is also very good, and has that rich Penon vocal style. Vocals are both forward and thick, with great resolving capability. 10th shine with male or darker voices more than brighter artists, brighter artists tend to sound wrong and also lack some airy capability. Male vocals are very similar on both sets, and the more slow presentation might even make 10th better on some albums over DTE900. But for most music they are the same, and if it's faster and more complex music DTE900 everyday.

When listening to females the DTE900 has more presence and airy rich sound to them, it's in a way less thick and diffused. I don't say 10th is bad, more of in comparison. As for instruments it's very good on both sets, while 10th has some uneven tonality on especially the upper part of the piano range. Some high hats and sharper old recordings can hit a peak in 10th making it slightly shrill, it's subtle and not often. On some other recordings it's the opposite where 10th is more relaxed than DTE900, I actually just think it's due to some slight BA timbre appearing sometimes in 10th.

The treble is refined while maybe having a too big anti sibilance region, at first I didn't understand why some piano pieces, brass or violin parts lacked some airy tonality and presence. Looking at measurements, Penon has gone down a safe road and reduced the sibilance region a good amount. Very good at removing sibilance and fatigue, at the cost of losing some treble and resolution. I never find DTE900 sibilant, and at the same time it’s more detailed than 10th.
If it's the extra ESTs or what, the DTE900 has a nicer shimmery treble than the 10th.

Soundstage is a tough one, the 10th is wide and lacks depth. DTE900 is for me wider than 10th and also has a much bigger depth, maybe if we compare them two. The 10th is like listening to nearfield speakers and DTE900 to normal speakers, even though this is not a speaker presentation and I exaggerate it. It's just that DTE900 is larger by a good amount, and I personally love this. Remember that soundstage is very personal from person to person.

Playing God is a nice track to show how more detailed and speedy DTE900 is over 10th, not that 10th sounds wrong here. Just more that's visible in the track, like how the strings resonate or to have the cymbal rings. Drums are also more impactful and fun on DTE900.

Towards the Bending of the Heart is also where I hear that 10th lacks something in the air region compared to DTE900. It just doesn't have the same upper treble resolution.



ISN EST50

ISN EST50 is also a tribrid, 10mm DD + 2 BA + 2 EST. Priced at 449$, very cheap in comparison to DTE900. Having owned many ISN, Penon and Sound Rhyme models I have started to see design elements and similar accessories. So I wouldn't be shocked if it's the same manufacturer that makes many of the models from the brands here.
This sits as one of my favorite IEMs, both sound and shell is perfect to my liking. It's very ergonomic and I have been quite happy having something unique with the yellow wood faceplate. The ergonomic design is also almost the same as DTE900, just in a smaller body.

What I noticed first when comparing it against EST50, the resolving nature of DTE900 is a league ahead. It's just more going on in the details when listening to instruments or vocals, it's also due to the more forward nature of DTE900. This also goes for how much air and how the soundstage is, everything is larger and better. But still both sets have that type of soundstage that is more wide than deep, giving a presentation that is more speaker-like.

Bass on the DTE900 has more sub bass emphasis than mud bass, it does not lack mid bass. It is just that the sub bass is boosted, so the mid bass feels a little behind. A good thing about this type of bass boost is that it doesn't affect all music, but when it calls for some great rumble EST50 can rumble for you. Speed is average on EST50, not slow and not fast. Sound signature of the EST50 is more L-shaped while the DTE900 is more W- shaped.

When comparing the two, it's quite apparent the speedy nature of the DTE900. My thought is that it uses a stronger magnet to control the dynamic driver, this also affects slam. DTE900 makes the EST50 sound softer in each bass kick, not that EST50 is soft. It's just that the DTE900 has more punch in its low end. If I listen to just the texture of bass notes, it's about the same in quality for what they show.

The sub bass rumble is about the same on the two, but since the upper range of EST50 is more relaxed the bass often is more pronounced. The mid bass is much more pronounced on DTE900 and does give more music a more weighty sound compared to EST50. Same for bass slam, it's more impactful and fun on DTE900.

Midrange of the EST50 is its weakest link, it's not the best sounding in detail and presence. Can also at some parts sound slightly grainy, it's still pretty good but lacks compared to its bass and treble. The EST50 is softer than DTE900 on the midrange, in a way it's less in focus and behind. But on music that doesn't use that much bass, the midrange gets to shine and can be very nuanced.

Vocals and instruments are more present and in focus on DTE900, but at the same time EST50 has a more relaxed midrange that is very good for already forward music.
Listening to things like cymbals or sax in jazz, the EST50 do lack some bite and sparkle. And on this DTE900 is instead forward and clear.

DTE900 sounds like a super high end stereo setup. EST50 more like Stereo that is worse,

Woman Drum with the EST50 is a very full sounding and pleasant experience, you don't get the same details in the midrange as with DTE900 and 10th. But in return you get a more pleasing sound, making it less shrill and sharp. Details on EST50 here are below what the DTE900 shows, its less details visible in the recording. What is also very good here is the slower bass of EST50, this matches this tune better than DTE900.

Schism is very relaxed on EST50 and lacks note weight to vocal and the instruments, it's also very noticeable that resolution is far below DTE900. There are many subtle elements in the drumming and guitar that are almost gone on est50. But one thing EST50 does perfectly, this will never ever be fatiguing. Both TE900 and 10th are just much more resolving and energetic, so music like this gets a total change in presentation on EST50.



Conclusion

I have been more than satisfied by the DTE900, and even after many weeks it remains as one of my favorites. I don't like to position any IEM as number one, so let's say it's within my top 3 now. Why is it placed so high? The detail, speed and energetic tonality are all things making DTE900 such a great IEM for me. Most important music sounds awesome with DTE900.

Bass that slam and can make most bassheads smile, of course some of us could have liked even more. Mids that are lush and forward, with lots of detail. And treble that's detailed to match the rest of the tonality. Soundstage in IEMs are most often very close to each other, this is one of those sets that are on a large side.

DTE900 just nailed so much right, that it more than deserves its cost. I would say this is one of the best sets you can now buy under 1000$, but since it's Sound Rhyme it will hardly get any exposure. For the people who have ordered one, enjoy this gem of an IEM. We have a masterpiece here.

Simgot EA1000 Fermat

Disclaimer

The EA1000 I got for free in return for a written review online, thanks Simgot and @FiaLm

All impressions are my own subjective thoughts, after having used EA1000 for some weeks.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current favorites in IEMs are AüR Audio Neon Pro, Sound Rhyme DTE900 and 634ears Miroak-II. The NEON Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me on the brighter side. DTE900 is a tribrid with 1+4+4 config, tuned W shape being energetic and lush. Miroak-II is my favorite single DD, it has a warm and bassy sound that is also very natural sounding.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
Portable gear used during the review is HIBY R6 Pro 2, Penon Tail, FIIO BTR7.
I have a good range of cables from ISN, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS, DUNU, Effect Audio and Gladiator Cables.



So what is Simgot EA1000 Fermat

Simgot is a brand based in China and Linsoul is the main seller of Simgot products.
The EA1000 is their newest single dynamic driver IEM that also has a passive radiator implemented. It uses a 10mm dual magnetic driver, which is fast and technical.
Simgot EA1000 follows similar tuning as the models before, it has proven a success that many love.

The shell is made in metal with a faceplate that looks like glass, very solid built and feels and looks premium. The cable socket is 2 pin with a small recessed insert, and the provided cable fits perfectly and matches the aesthetics of the IEM.

The whole package is well thought out and gives a nice presentation and opening experience, and the whole Fermat theorem is a nice touch. While I must admit I haven't delved into why they have it as a part of their marketing.

The EA1000 also has the same nozzle system as the EA500, they provide 3 pairs of nozzles with some minor differences in sound.

What is more interesting is that it's easy to mod with filter and foam to tame the upper energy.

Comfort needs to be mentioned, the nozzles are short/average and in combination with a not so ergonomic shell make it a bad fit for me. I have large ears and the ear cavity where the tips sit are fairly deep, so the body of the IEM hits the concha and makes it rather hard at getting a good seal. With correct tips it's almost solved, but I still have to readjust and push them in now and then.



Taken from the product listing:

Technical Details​

Drivers​

10mm dual-magnetic-circuit & dual-cavity structure dynamic

Cable​

High Purity Silver-Plated OFC Litz Structure

Connectors Type​

Detachable 0.78mm 2Pin

PRICE​

$219.99 USD

https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ea1000-fermat




Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the timbre.

The Simgot EA1000 has a natural sound, that is on the energetic side. In short I would call it balanced but it's slightly too bright for that, even so it balances the energy pretty well without being too shouty.
But I can not deny the pina gain being on the border of what I prefer, it can at times make certain songs have a metallic tendency similar to EA500 but less.

I have tried all the nozzles and the change is small, I have just gone with the red nozzle as it has the most forgiving upper range and the most bass.

Going to use the ranges here in review:




Measurement by Paul Wasabi.



Details and soundstage

The EA1000 is very resolving, and might be the most resolving single DD in its price range. We can call it single DD due to the passive radiators not counted as a driver.
Be it bass, mids or the highs it delivers much details on all ranges.

Soundstage is open with good layering, nothing revolutionary but not bad either. I would categorize the soundstage as average in depth and height, while it excels at separation and imaging.

Bass

The EA1000 low range is very impressive, I do think that the combination of a good driver and the passive radiator adds something extra to the bass. It's almost hard to explain, but it has a very natural sound. The EA1000 can both slam and rumble with authority, speed also slightly on the fast side. A few more dB in the sub bass would have been appreciated for me, but overall the tuning is very nicely done here. It also has the glide style of increasing from the lower mids into the bass, the style I prefer.

Mids

Yes, this is the first Simgot where I have been more pleased with midrange. Same as the bass range it has a more organic and natural way of presenting both vocals and instruments.

The upper mids are forward, and for some it might be too much. I had more problems with this on earlier Simgot models, so either I have gotten used to it or the EA1000 does it better. Even if they all measure very similarly.

Male vocal sounds better than female, as the female ones could have had more clarity. I still rate it highly for both, just some nit picking.

Treble

The high range is forward and detailed, but not overly much. Some of this due to also the upper mids being forward, so they balance each other out in energy. You can hear some nice sparkle on cymbals, and violins will have good presence and clarity.

It's still on the more technical side with an analytical type of treble, maybe too much for some.

The EA1000 also has plenty of air, maybe too much.



Synergies

A small part about what gear I have been enjoying the most with the EA1000.

Most of my listening has been done with HIBY R6 Pro 2 and Topping E70/A90 Discrete, my favorite pairing being R6P2.

Tips have been a difficult thing, due to nozzles being short compared to the flat body of the shell. I need to readjust the IEMs often, so tips with longer stems work the best and the ones with more grippy texture. I have some stock tips from an unknown package that has worked the best, with Spinfit CP100 being close second.

Stock cable is good already, but lacks the 4.4mm that I prefer to use. I don't find it changes much with better cables, so my favorite has been some 16core copper XINHS cable as it's soft and helps with securing the fit.




Music

I will just talk about some of the music I like, the music I use here are some of my reference tracks and also just some I like. When I am listening to music and not evaluating, I prefer to listen to whole albums. When comparing EA1000 to other sets I have used the tracks listed here and more. Most of my listening has been through my own files from Bandcamp or Tidal.



Billie Elish - No Time To Die

The theme song for the James Bond movie No Time To Die.
Billie Eilish is the vocalist, the Orchestral part is done by Hans Zimmer Orchestra and produced by Finneas O'Connell and Stephen Lipson. It have a high production quality and more than good enough to evaluate vocals and dynamics.

Billie Eilish was only 17 years old here and the youngest ever in a James Bond theme song, she was praised by Hans for having an intimate and emotional voice.
The track starts slow with just a subtle piano and gets even more slow when Billie enters, she sings carefully with lots of emotion. And crescendos up more and more over the course of the track, also why I say it has great dynamic range here.

The more dark voice of Billie suits the EA1000, no problem showing everything and even giving some goosebumps.



Earthspace - When We Feel Strange

Some sort of electronic psy genre, there are so many categories that i'm lost these days. But the track features speed and rhythm that is quite technical, has lots of elements happening all at once and can make some sets to start to sweat.

And yes EA1000 can play this with ease, it never feels slow or congested. Remains open and clear on all parts, with great separation and dynamic range of it all. I would have liked more bass to make it less energetic, but this is a personal opinion.

If there are any downsides with EA1000 and music like this, it's the resolving capability and forward upper mids. Some electronic music is super clean but some also don't have the best samples used in their sounds, and the more resolving the more apparent this can be. While this track is pretty good I could have preferred EA1000 to be less energetic.



Seatbelts - Tank!

The soundtrack of the beloved anime series COWBOY BEPOP, the Tank! Is an intense one opposing song. Written by Yoko Kanno and performed by Seatbelts, a big band jazz piece with latin infused hard bop style.

The piece has some impressive and forward alto sax playing, and is great for me to listen to sax tonality and if it's too forward sounding or not. The rhythm part is done by double bass and bongo drums.

The opening with the buzzing double bass is very prominent and detailed, and is actually more prevalent here than EA500. The bongo drums accompanied has a nice tone to them, just lacking a little body.

Teh sax is very nicely done, not too hot and fatiguing. Juist just at the edge where it's very detailed and open.



Jinjer - Pisces

Awesome track by Jinjer, and yes the vocalist is female and does the growling also. Just an overall nice track to test dynamic range and how it handles slightly complex metal.

Jinjer opens with a more melodic opening with beautiful vocals, EA1000 shows more than enough expressions in her voice. And the instruments are clear and nuanced also, the drums have a nice tactile feel. The cymbals also have some nice zing to them.

Then going into the hard part, she remains very clear and it's easy to listen to her growling and instruments without it sounding congested or metallic.



Fink - Trouble’s What You’re In - Live from Union Chapel, London

Incredibly nice live recording, Fink has an amazing voice. The simple but nuanced track has very few instruments, but the harmony of it all is very special and full sounding.

The EA1000 has great texture and body to his voice, and also very resolving showing his vibrato or breathiness. Personally I prefer more mid bass to \\give him more fullness, but this presentation is very correct and transparent sounding.

The drumming and guitar together with his voice has a sort of euphonic presentation, very addictive.



Comparisons



Simgot EA500

The EA500 is the model that made Simgot well known, it's also a single DD. Having a high resolving driver that is really fast and nuanced, more or less unbeatable in performance at its price point. Also has the nozzle system, and is easy to mod.

To make it more correct, I changed back to normal filters that are not modded on EA500.

The metal build is almost the same as EA1000 except for the faceplate, this also goes for the ergonomics. Price is at 70-80 usd depending on sale or not.

Bass is more natural and is felt slightly more in EA1000 than EA500, EA500 already had very good bass performance but lacked in amount. So yes you can say that EA1000 has taken EA500 and improved it, making it more natural and fun. If it's due to the passive radiator or just what type of driver I am curious about.

Mids is outstanding om EA1000, before EA1000 I have not been totally impressed by the midrange of Simgot. Models before sounded too sterile and cold, this on both instruments and vocals lacked soul. I hate to use this word, but the midrange is more organic and natural now with EA1000. EA500 has a sort of metallic sound to some instruments and sounds. This can sometimes also appear on EA1000 but it's up to the recording if it's exaggerated.
Treble more detailed and clear, having also more air.
As I said the EA500 in stock form had a sort of metallic and cold tonality, there is not as much of this with EA1000. Much of this was solved by modding with filter and foam in my EA500.
But even when modded, the EA500 can't touch the EA1000. Remember the changes are not day and night, but it's still I find the price jump justified.



Simgot EM6L

The EM6L is also one of the recent releases from Simgot, it is a hybrid with 1 DD and 4BA.
It is also tuned almost the same as EA500 and EA1000, but due to driver config it also sounds different.

The build here is in plastic instead of metal, and it doesn't feel and look as premium as the other two. The nozzle is similar in size but is not exchangeable and glued in place, the good part is that it has slightly better angle and length. I still don't get the best fit, but it's better than the EA1000. Price is at 90-120 usd depending on sale or not.

Bass is of lower quality than EA1000, but it also extends better and some sub bass rumble is more noticeable. The bass just feels slower and less resolving than EA1000 and also EA500.

Mids is also quite different has a sort of softer tone, most likely due to BA. On some music I really like this and it makes it more forgiving, but on some albums it's also more edgy and sharp.
I think most of this is due to some of the tuning in the upper midrange that especially affects some ranges of the piano or some brass instruments.

Treble is slightly less resolving and airy than EA1000, also at times a little unnatural and sharp.

Soundstage is actually above the EA1000 and EA500, but remember soundstage is very personal. As for imaging how easy it is to position everything is below EA1000 and more similar to EA500.

Overall the sound is softer and less resolving than the other two.

The spider chart is slightly exaggerated on some points to show differences.





Conclusion

So what do I think after all this about the Simgot EA1000 Fermat , they have another winner in its price range. It's not as revolutionary as EA500 was for its price range, but it still remains a good contender where it's priced.

If you love your EA500 and want something that is an improvement this is the way to go, but if you had any of the problems I mentioned about fit this is the same. And even if the upper midrange is now better, it's still forward and aggressive.

The EA1000 sound is very addictive and fun to listen to, the balance of energy and resolution is just right and not tiresome. And the touch of organic element it brings to acoustic music is excellent, if it's due to the passive radiator or driver itself don't matter for me. Something they have done does make music very enjoyable especially in the low and midrange.

My love letter to Aür Audio Neon Pro


Neon Pro is my first IEM from AüR Audio, I bought it with my own money. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after using them for over a month, and I have no association with AüR writing this. This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I also do think we can never get 100% close to a live performance. I have been very passionate here, so the review got longer than what I had in mind.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with sub and mid bass boost, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not a talent in playing. My wife has also played many instruments from string instruments to wind while has the talent part I lack.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current standard in IEMs is SA6 and Penon Serial. One all BA with near perfect tonality for me, just some minor flaws. Penon Serial also has a near perfect tonality for me that is more organic and fun sounding than SA6.

Both of them have sound signatures that I can listen to almost all types of music.
Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have also used the Feliks Audio Echo, one of the more silent OTL amps.

Portable gear used during the review: Truthear SHIO, Tempotec Sonata HD II , Hiby R6 III, Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022, Quidelix 5k DAC/AMP and Cayin RU6..

I have a good range of cables from ISN, DUNU, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS, Forza and some others.





Who is Aür Audio

AüR Audio is a Singapore brand who makes in-ear monitors and is founded by two friends, Nicholas Teo and Abel Hsu. It is a small business where Abel handles the research and development while Nicholas manages the sales, marketing and distribution.

The IEMs are handmade by Abel from start to end of production, carefully ensuring that everything is perfect with a quality control that is above the usual chi-fi market.

On the other side of AüR is Nicholas who has his customers in mind, one of the most helpful sellers I have contacted. When I have asked something about their products or recommendation for other audio related gear, he has been more than happy to help me out.

https://www.auraudio.store/

Allure 6 BA (Discontinued)
Neon 10 BA (Discontinued)
Neon Pro 10 BA
Aure 8mm DD and 6 BA (Discontinued)
Alita 12 BA
Aurora Configuration still secret coming soon

They also have some other releases in the pipeline forward, a tribrid and a TOTL IEM.




So what is the Neon Pro

The first that struck me was how beautiful and well made the shell is. Craftsmanship is at a high level here, I tip my hat off to Abel. The face plate is a piece of art, at first all I wanted to do was to admire them. You can also see the internal drivers and wire through the tinted translucent shell, it looks tidy and well done.

Neon Pro is a multi driver earphone with 10 drivers for each side, all of them are balanced armatures. It also has a tuning switch to reduce/enhance the bass by 3dB, people I have talked with go both ways preferring either tuning modes. The shell can be bought only in the black with dark see through acrylic resin, they also had the blue with clear resin before.

They have focused on selling the IEM in the cheapest way possible. Accessories and cable are not much, but enough to get you going. That is what you get for paying less. The cable provided is an average 2 core silver plated copper, and you also get a hard case with some tips.



Sub Bass (2): Sonion Dual Woofer
Mid Bass (2): Sonion Dual Woofer
Midrange (2): Sonion Midrange Driver
Treble (4): Knowles Dual Tweeter
Impedance: 5Ω at 1 kHz
Sensitivity: 111 ± 1 dB at 1 kHz

They make the IEMs by demand so there is some wait time around 1-2 months to get them.

Neon Pro | My Site









Some photos from the manufacturing process of Neon Pro.










What does the Neon Pro sound like?

What made me start the IEM journey 1 year ago was that I tried to find something I would like as much as my ZMF Verite in a more portable solution. I never found anything that nails timbre, speed and detail the same way. This is the closest I have been to the Verite in an IEM, and I would even say the Neon Pro makes a few aspects better.

The tuning with switch off reminds me of the DUNU SA6, but better in all aspects. Never having heard the QDC Anole VX, I heard from a few others that it is tuned very similarly and has capability that can rival it. The overall sound is detailed, clear and natural with a slight U shape signature. No big peaks that make you wanna turn down the music or not use it for some genres. The bass switch on gives a good 3dB boost to the low end and is my preferred tuning.

My favourite pairing with the Neon Pro has been my desktop rig Topping E70 + A90D, I also like the Hiby R6 III. Another very great pairing is the Neon Pro together with the Cayin RU6. RU6 dongle was magical and is a dongle that is on my purchase list soon. As for cable, my best pairing has been the XINHS 4 core single crystal copper silver plated wire and the same in pure copper another good pairing is the DUW-03 from DUNU. Favourite tips are TRN T tips and JVC Spiral Dot. TRN T are usually too small, but here they fit perfectly because of an already very perfect ergonomic nozzle.

I also had some good times with the Feliks Audio Echo with stock tubes. This gives both the bass and mids some extra energy and smoothen some of the treble, making the sound more L shaped. Also expanding the soundstage to some degree.

I am going to use these ranges in the review:





Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?

From Wikipedia:
“The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"
First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.”

The timbre is very spot on with the Neon Pro with the switch off, it is very similar to ZMF Verite. It has that ability of making a good recording sounding very true to life, or how I imagine it to be in real life. This is also very subjective as everything is in this passionate hobby. When timbre is nailed right for me I can put my whole library on random, and this works wonders here.

If I nit-pick I could have liked a tiny amount of darker treble, the good part is the tuning switch. With the switch on the bass is increased, making the tonality change better to my preference. Since the upper mids and treble is less boosted in comparison, the treble gets less noticeable. The switch does not reduce the amount, just so that is said, just how it is in comparison to the lower end of the frequency response.

The sound is neutral and warm with a slightly U shaped signature, more so with the switch on than without. Without it is actually very neutral sounding in all frequency ranges. I do not not notice any BA timbre, while for example SA6 has it to a small degree.

In the next part I will put certain tracks under bass, mids or treble. I could have put them in other categories als, but I have decided to use that track in a particular range. Also all the tracks I mention here will be used in the comparison part with other sets.





Soundstage and resolution

This is one of the first things I checked after being in shock over the good timbre. The soundstage and resolution stood out, especially the amount of detail in the music. Some sets achieve this by boosting the treble. This is not the case here, and the Neon Pro is clearly using very good drivers tuned really well.

Soundstage is more circular sounding than most IEMs, I often find IEMs to be much wider than having forwardness. This is also the case here to some degree, but the sounds from the front do appear further out than what I'm used to in IEMs.

How big the space is portrayed is very good, on a few tracks you notice how black the background is making the sound cues have a very good holographic 3D effect.




Fear Inoculum and Pneuma by Tool

The whole band is presented here, but what I often use it for is checking the resolution. Especially in the nuances of the drumming from Danney Carey. His drums are perhaps the star on the Pneuma track, so much expression. This was the first track I tested and I knew immediately that the Neon Pro was for me. It rivaled my ZMF Verite in the drumming, micro detail and all the nuances. Fear Inoculum is also a fast track with loads going on, sets with less resolution and speed makes it sound wrong.

I have nothing to complain about the resolution or soundstage, It has this amount of detail while not being overly bright as some other higher end sets out there.





Thriller by Michael Jackson

Brilliant track to test everything from bass, mids, treble, soundstage, dynamic range and detail. Looking at the imaging ability, Neon Pro does it perfectly. Lots of cues all over in the track, you get a close to perfect sense of where things appear with different depths. Michael Jackson's voice appears slightly in front of you instead of directly in the head. While the sound cues are positioned in an oval space around you. More to the sides than forward. The amount of detail you get out here is above what an average IEM pushes, it is perhaps showing more resolution than Focal Utopia 2022 and ZMF Verite both being TOTL headphones. This is the best dynamic range I have tested in an IEM so far.




Mørkedstidssanger by Ingvild Koksvik

This is an artist from Norway, she sings in Norwegian about waiting for things to get better. The amount of detail in her voice, instruments and the background voice is excellent for evaluating detail. Neon pro shows everything that is going on here, with all the dynamic expressions available in the recording. This is also a track I recently had the opportunity to hear on the expensive KEF Blade Meta speakers. And also were able to meet her in person on a HiFI show. I can wholeheartedly say that the amount of detail pushed out here rivals high end speakers in resolution. Remember I only talk about resolution here, speakers produce a whole different type of experience than IEMs.




Anabasis by Children of the Sun

Another reviewer here often uses the first track from this great album, I like to use the second track Anabasis, but both are great for this. The vocals and spatial cues are epic and also perfect for checking soundstage and microdetail. With the Neon Pro I am getting pulled into the music, the space is very large all around me. The drum here is supposed to sound big and heavy, it is an epic experience on the Neon Pro. This was also a track together with my tube amp that gave me chills, it is so big and bold.




Bass

The low end is similar in decay with the switch both on and off. The amount changes, this also gives the sound more mid-bass presence. Even with the switch off it has enough amount to make music lively.

As for how well it is done, this does sound like a dynamic driver on the faster side in decay. Lots of nuances and it never feels overdone or loose. The bass is one of the things reminding me of how Verite does it, beryllium driver hits hard and fast similar to the Neon Pro. Neon Pro does have more sub bass compared to the Verite, especially with the switch on.

Very many sets coming out have too little energy in the mid bass(bass closest to the mids), this makes instruments and vocals sound dull like there is not enough body in the music. Neon Pro does this perfectly with both the switch off or on, while switch turned on might be too much for some. Some prefer a more neutral mid bass approach, and if that is the case just to flip the switch off. Unless you need to have Harman style in the bass, then you need to look at another IEM out there.




Mezzanine by Massive Attack

This is the goto track for me to test kick drum sub bass and overall bass performance, it should be bold and impactful. When a set does this perfectly you can feel the kick, good dynamic range of the bass getting stronger and stronger further out.

I did not expect this quality of sub bass, this is where I would have believed it were a dynamic driver doing the low end. Since SA6 and RSV are not like this. There are two bass notes to listen after, the kick around 60Hz and one at 150 Hz. If the IEM is to lean on the lowest frequencies the whole track is broken, the lowest kick drum actually needs it elevated to come forward. When the tuning switch is on, it reaches the right amount of energy here, while with the switch off I find it a bit too soft.



Uh Uh by Thundercat

The bass guitar playing here is ultra fast and detailed with loads of dynamics. I have owned a bass guitar but never got around to playing it much, but I have listened to a lot of bass playing from the big masters. Uh Uh has a high level of bass guitar that is incredibly fast. I can notice all the subtle changes going up and down the different ranges. It easily keeps up with the speed and never feels congested. There is a good amount of resolution and detail here, which is perfect for a set like Neon Pro.




Mids

The mids on Neon Pro is very much to my liking having a natural timbre and it is not pushed too much forward. The upper midrange bordering into the treble has a little energy and goes very well along with my preference for most music. This also means that music that has shouty vocals or brass will not get more gentle or intense, it will be portrait as the artist intended.

Sometimes I could have liked more forward vocals, but the tuning switch does move vocals that are more dark forward to some degree.



Maggie Said by Natalie Merchant

Very emotional and intimate vocal by Natalie with good dynamic range. Her voice comes off as magical on the Neon Pro, never boring or tiresome. The guitar has a very natural tonality, and sounds very natural. I get goosebumps here, it is like I'm there listening to it live. The amount of nuance in her voice is perfect, some of this is due to the recording of course.



You Want it Darker by Leonard Cohen

Perfect for checking overall how full sounding and how forward the mids are. Leonard Cohen's husky voice has a lot of presence here and again the natural tone of his voice and the choir is represented extremely close to my standard Verite. I have nothing to complain about here and the tonality is just spot on. While the imaging of the different vocals is also strong here, Leonard is a little away in front of you. While the choir is further spaced behind and to the side from him, and the last vocal is even further out and higher up.



Now We Are Free by Hans Zimmer

This is from the last part of the movie Gladiator, it is one of my favourite soundtracks. I get goosebumps almost every time I hear it, partly due to having an association to the film. Lisa Gerrard's voice has a huge dynamic range, going from subtle to intense moments touching your soul. Perfect rendition of the track on Neon Pro, it is maybe the most beautiful way I have heard it.



Treble and Air

There is a natural amount of treble on the Neon Pro has a neutral amount with a slight forward emphasis. if this is the right amount or not you have to ask yourself, this depends very much on how sensitive you are to treble. Some need treble to be stepped back some, while others need it forward due to anatomy or just age. I would call this a nice middle ground where it is not dull or overly forward.

It has anti sibilance dip from 4-8k Hz and never gets sibilant, there is just the right amount of presence in the 4k and 8k Hz, giving off good energy that music never gets dull or dark.




The Canticle of the Sun by Sofia Gubaidulina

The whole performance is almost like a spiritual ritual happening, this is more modern music than classical and not for everyone. This is a whole performance I like to use to grasp the amount of treble cleanliness and amount of air. The high frequency is rather clean and smooth, with no intense problem areas. The amount of treble extension is very good with a good amount of air up top. I could have also evaluated the mids since there is choir going through the whole performance. But it is harder to evaluate here since it is a very special kind of performance. What I can say is that the instrument parts sound very correct.



Humming by Portishead

Several years ago I was recommended by another Head-Fi user to try this for how fatiguing the treble is. It has lots of weird elements, and it sounds almost trippy. There are lots of unpleasant sounds that are shown if the mids and treble is too forward or harsh.

The nuances in the mids with the theremin at the start is top notch. The crackle in the background is very noticeable, and I hear lots of nuance in it. I never get fatigued here, while also keeping up with all the microdetails appearing all over. Thumbs up here also.



Towards the Bending of the Light by Hart, Wolff and Hennings

This song is also a very odd one, and it has one purpose for me, checking the amount of air in a set.
Percussions are used here making harmonics up in the air region, this shows if a set got more air up top. Unless you have reduced hearing in the upper ranges,you might not notice the air detail. For me Neon Pro is above average than what I have tried in other IEMs. Thumbs up if you are a detail head, that also needs it to not be fatiguing.





Comparisons

I do wish I had more higher end models to put into this review, I am still fairly new to IEMs since I have been using headphones for all my years in audio.
Still what I have tested and also my own collection has given me a good taste for brands who have soul.
Sets that are different from the copy style so many cheap sets go under, then charge you loads for buying them.






DUNU SA6

This was my first multi balanced armature IEM, only having owned hybrids before with BA drivers. It uses 6 drivers for each side and is priced a little lower than Neon Pro. It has been my reference IEM since I got it, and also my favorite IEM for gaming. This also has a bass switch, the bass switch does appear to be more subtle compared to the Neon Pro. I prefer it with the switch on, but for this comparison I will keep it off on both sets.

First thing that stands out is resolution, the biggest improvement you get here is how resolving the whole frequency range is. You will pick up more nuances in your music, like picking up strokes on strings or how the double bass is plucked. Some said that SA6 had bad resolution, I never thought so myself. I find the SA6 above average in how resolving and capable of reproducing a correct tone. Neon Pro just takes it up to a new level and is a very good upgrade for current SA6 owners.

The timbre of SA6 is colder compared to Neon Pro, Neon Pro comes off as more natural sounding and more musical. If you have ever heard live music, you might know what I mean. It does sound more boosted specially in the bass over a neutral or Harman tuned set.

SA6 made me understand that BA can sound closer to dynamic drivers for its low end. It still had something that is off, but it is more subtle. If I had never known the Neon Pro was only balanced armatures, I would have been certain this was a dynamic driver. Just one of the faster material dynamic drivers like how beryllium decay faster, perfect impactful low end that gives drums in metal or rock justice. There is also a different amount of bass, more warmth and impact to the overall bass on Neon Pro. While sub bass frequencies are very close in amount and how deep it goes.

Mids on both sets are very smooth and neutral, but the resolving capability of Neon Pro takes the upper hand. Upper mids have a little more energy in Neon Pro over SA6, I prefer this and often find sets missing some energy here boring. Both male and female vocals are smoother sounding while also having more definition over SA6. This also goes for brass, more in control, more energy and never shouty on Neon Pro. Both handle brass well, but I give the edge to Neon Pro sounding more correct and energetic.

The treble is more resolving on Neon Pro, same for upper harmonics. They have different peaking, and for me SA6 can be bothersome on a few test tracks, while the Neon Pro does it better. I do believe it is because the treble peaks at 7k on SA6, while it is at 8k Hz on Neon Pro.

Soundstage is always hard to evaluate, SA6 has a little over average amount of wideness and depth. Not far out of your head, but not totally closed in your head either.

I read once someone said that Neon Pro has no soundstage. This guy needs to check his ears, while not exaggerating it is more out of your head than in your head feeling. it is also quite a circle of sound, not how some sets have a wide stage but no depth. Both do imaging very well, the extra detail in Neon Pro gives it the upper hand.

There are two things the SA6 does better, first is being the most comfortable IEM out there. The shell is very small and ergonomic with just the perfect length of the nozzle. The Neon Pro is rather large in comparison but still very comfortable and ergonomic. The other point is in accessories and how the package is, DUNU is almost class leading out there in this. It comes with an extremely good cable, the DUW-03 that is also modular, 3 sets of tips and a nice storage case. But you do pay for that premium.

I am not saying the SA6 is a bad IEM, as I like it very much. This just takes it a step further. And if I would have used the bass switch on, there would be no doubt I prefer the Neon Pro much more.



ISN EST50

EST50 is a guilty pleasure IEM for me, as I know it is not correct having this much boosted sub bass. But it is a lot of fun and addictive. What makes the EST50 much better than most so called basshead IEMs, is that it has better control not bleeding much into the mids. The mid bass is in much more control than other basshead sets, while not being increased too much.

This IEM is a Tribrid, meaning it has 3 types of driver technologies. Dynamic driver for the bass, BA for mids/treble and EST drivers for ultra high frequencies. It has an energetic and smooth sound with a sub bass that is more on the extreme side. I am going to use the bass switch on with Neon Pro for this comparison.

If I try and listen to Thriller comparing them against each other the low end and bass actually appear very similar. I tried to analyze where the frequency range of the bass is, it is never in the lowest range. So both sets are similar in amount and not boosted too much with either. What differs here is the decay of the bass, it is slower and looser in EST50. While at the same time the detail in the bass notes is perhaps slightly more detailed on EST50.

When checking a true sub bass track like the Mezzanine you notice some differences here. The amount is more and looser on the EST50, and it seems to be in more control on Neon Pro. Neon Pro also sounds to me more natural in the decay since EST50 is on the slower side, and also the upper bass kick hits harder on Neon Pro.

The EST50 is more like a stereo speaker setup with a 12 inch open vented subwoofer backing it up that is also turned up some, Neon Pro is more like a high end modern speaker setup with big drivers giving fast and punchy but with elevated low end.

Vocals are very similar, it can appear slightly warmer on EST50 but it is small. When listening to a track with only instruments it is not as easy to differentiate the mids. It is first when entering the upper part of the mids that you notice they are less forward on EST50, this you can also see at FQ measurement of EST50 since it has a gentle Pina Gain. This also makes the EST50 very safe if you're sensitive to upper midrange energy. Neon Pro has a more natural amount of upper mid range and does acoustic music more justice.

Treble is similar in amount, but what's weird is that even with EST50s EST drivers the amount of upper treble is more detailed and forward on Neon Pro. It is also smoother on Neon pro especially in the lower treble. For air I can not really differentiate them, it can be that ISN have not implemented the EST drivers well enough. Or that Neon Pro is just that good.
Overall resolution is good with both, I do put the Neon Pro a step ahead. I do notice more detail especially in the mids and treble.

Soundstage is more oval on EST50. When sounds are in front of you, it is shown very close. Very similar to other IEMs, the sides on the other hand are very deep. There is also very good layering that is above most sets. Neon Pro has the same amount of depth to the sides but can also portray more depth in front. Especially on Anastasis album the sense of space is more vast on Neon Pro, there is more blackness to the background making it seem endless.

I love both sets and I am not getting rid of the EST50. It is not as versatile, but it is very good with most of the music I like. While a few tracks like Mørketidssanger that already have boosted bass will get too much on EST50 while Neon Pro handles it better. What EST50 excels at is electronica music or watching movies where you get a really good sub bass rumble.



Penon Serial

Before I tested the Neon Pro, Serial was my favorite. It could even have had a higher cost and I would have called it a steal. So for the $300, it is a unique and special IEM that people should try and listen to at some point. I believe there is a huge chance you would buy one after that.

Serial uses 3 dynamic drivers. One for bass, mids and treble. It has a natural sound that is more dark and analogue, speed is also slower due to longer resonating decay. It is very musical and fun, which makes me enjoy music more than just picking it apart.

I will use the tuning switch on here because they get a similar amount of low end.

If the Neon Pro is similar to the timbre of ZMF Verite the Serial is more similar to the ZMF Aeolus. Both are well tuned but give different flavor, mids are warmer, and the treble is darker with Penon Serial. The weight of the notes are thicker on Serial, Neon Pro is lighter. But still Neon Pro is closer to Serial than the DUNU SA6.

As I mentioned in the EST50 comparison, the Neon Pro is similar to big modern speakers with fast decay in the low end. Bass is well extended in both sets, while perhaps having a small amount more mid bass in the Penon Serial. It is very similar, especially with the tuning switch on. This is also where I applaud Neon Pro with how natural the BA bass is. I like both sets for how they produce bass, with its slower decay and more mid bass the Serial does come off a more bold old school style.

Mids are more forward on the Serial all the way from lower part til the upper part of the mids. Both styles work and both sound good with instruments and vocals. On a few brass focused jazz tracks the Serial has more fatiguing energy while the Neon Pro handled it smoother.

Treble is more relaxed and less detailed on the Serial, while the Neon Pro has crystal clear treble. The Neon Pro does also have more detailed air.

Soundstage on the Serial is also very good and has more forwardness than most IEMs, while at the same time being wide. Both do it well, this also goes for imaging. Neon Pro on the track Anabasis has a more vast room, it is more endless in depth. What I have noticed is that sets that are darker can often feel more closed in here.

Overall the timbre of Serial is slightly dark with great bass and mids, while the Neon Pro is more balanced with a slight U shaped sound. Both sets compliment each other and it is great to own both, but the Neon Pro does take the first place.



A while ago when I attended a HiFi show, I got to experience many great speakers. The photos above show speakers from Revival Audio and Focal. One much more old school, mimicking the 70-80s bold sound. The other from Focal is a faster speaker while also being huge sounding, but it comes off crisper and more modern. Both were more than great, but portrayed the sound differently. I could have owned both and be happy. The Serial and Neon Pro can both play my whole library in excellence with different approaches.



ZMF Verite

As I have mentioned the ZMF Verite throughout the review, I feel like it deserves a little comparison in the end. This is very hard due to them being an IEM and a Headphone, but I will give it a go. A IEM will never be able to portray sound the same way as an headphone, the same way a headphone will not do it the same as a speaker setup. But they can still have a timbre that is comparable.

ZMF Verite is one of the top models from ZMF, it is a headphone costing around 4 times more than the Neon Pro. When I got my Verite all my lust for other headphones disappeared and I have tried to find the same in IEMs without luck, that is until now.

ZMF has its house sound, and the Verite with Universal Suede pads is very close to that house sound. For me this is a natural sounding timbre making instruments and vocals appear natural with a hint of warmth and extra body. Neon Pro has that same definition to me, with maybe a little more body to the low end and is slightly more relaxed in the treble.

Bass on the Neon Pro is thicker and more impactful with the switch on, while with the switch off they are about the same. The amount of detail in bass notes is better on the Neon Pro, while the impact is different. I believe this is due to one being inside the ear and the other hitting a bigger area moving more air. The Sub bass extension is a clear win to Neon Pro with both switch on and off.

Mids shows perfect instrument playback on the Verite with a slight forward emphasis, the Neon pro is more neutral in the amount in comparison. Both have mids that are natural, and sound real with instruments and vocals. Brass instruments in the middle of the mids have more energy in the Verite which can make some tracks tiresome, while the same track can be enjoyed without fatigue on the Neon Pro.

Female vocals are near perfect on both while male vocals with the tuning switch on are actually a small amount more forward on the Neon Pro. This is probably because more mid bass is coming into the mids, without switch they are about the same. One thing I forgot when going through these comparisons, the Verite gets more forward in the mids due to my tube amp. It is slight, but it does affect it to some degree. My Verite is married to the Feliks Audio Echo so it is appropriate.

The treble has almost the same amount of energy and forwardness but a small amount more forward on the Verite. While the air and extension is the best on Verite, I am a person who is not very concerned about air, so it is not a problem for me. Going back to Hummingbird by Portishead, the Verite is somewhat unpleasant, but the Neon Pro is okay. This might actually be due to the amount of upper harmonics and the slightly more forward treble.
Soundstage is where the Verite wins, it is clearly more expansive. As for detail in the soundstage it is closer, with imaging capability being about the same



Conclusion on Neon Pro

I started the review calling it a “Love letter" in the title. I almost felt bad writing it all since everything comes off as positive. The sound coming from the Neon Pro is perfect for my taste, it has all the technicalities while still having a musical soul. It also has high-end capabilities in its resolution and soundstage.

I bought this blind after having talked with one of the owners. I was hoping for a better set than SA6, but I got more than that. What I didn't expect was that I would find my ZMF in an IEM.

Am I happy? I am more than happy, the honeymoon period never ended with this set.

After talking with some fellow owners of the Neon Pro and other AüR IEMs, they all say the same thing: The tuning Abel can do is on a master level, while Nicholas' support for its customers is also legendary.

Congrats AüR, I do hope you will move forward so that even more people notice your excellence. It is never easy starting up a new brand, especially when you want to stand on your own feet. What you are achieving here is well worth all the hard work.

I will end this with a modified quote from one of my favourite movies Ratatouille:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgment.

It is difficult to imagine more humble folks than those creating Neon Pro, who are, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest makers out there.

I will be returning to AüR soon, hungry for more.

Ranking System

1 Very bad or unlistanable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

Price can push something up or down half grade.

Going by this ranking system together with my deeper evaluation matrix, the Neon Pro get a 5.

Symphonium Meteor

I have been having the Symphonium Meteor on loan the last few weeks, the little red Meteor.
This is a 4 BA (Balanced Armature) IEM, costing $599.

This will not be a review, more like a small impression. Also going to compare it to one of my faovorite IEMs, the AüR Audio Neon Pro am 10 BA set with a slight U shaped sound signature. I am not trying to offend anyone with this, this is a set I have been hyped to buy for myself. I have a feel that the ear pressure problems are ruining the sound of Meteor, and it for sure plays better loud than with low volume.

Disclaimer:

This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

My rating system highly values what is musical, so my rating will always be a subjective opinion.

Specifications​

Driver Crossover - Custom Tuned True 3-Way Crossover with PHAT Technology
Frequency Response - 12Hz - 21kHz, ± 3 dB
Sensitivity - 111dB/Vrms @ 1 kHz
Impedance - 9.7 Ohms @ 1 kHz
Socket - Spring Loaded 0.78mm 2-Pin
Cable - 26 AWG OCC Copper
Cable Impedance - 0.18 Ohms (3.5mm). 0.17 Ohms (4.4mm)
Limited 1 - Year Warranty


https://www.symphoniumaudio.com/products/meteor




Meteor sound impression

Most of my listening has been done with the Cayin N7 DAP, I have also used my desktop setup with Topping E70 + A90 Discrete. Tips have been Kbear 07 and Spinfit.

Must admit I had a hard time with the shell and finding a good seal, they are really small in the body and the nozzle has a different angle than the rest of my IEMs. There is also no vent on the IEM, I have never had problems before this set with pressure buildup. With lots of tip rolling and some advice, I found the Spinfit model I have to provide the seal. Also cable rolled to a better cable, the stock is okay sounding. But it doesn't sit well and makes Meteor being pushed out of the ear.

The meteor is described like this:

PHYSICALLY SMALL, SONICALLY LARGE​

The Meteor, simply put - sounds MASSIVE. We created the Meteor to shock you the very first second the music starts playing - extracting the speed, detail and raw energy from your music and delivering it in a fun way that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Bass so physical that you feel air pushed into your ears and basslines vibrating from the thick bass strings. Treble so extended with its cymbals sounding ethereal and textured

The Meteor’s “U-shaped” sound signature puts its bass and high treble in the spotlight, yet maintaining a sophisticated balance to form a coherent and exciting experience so that you will spend hours listening in pure fun. All this in a compact form factor well suited for music listeners with smaller ears.


Give it a go - you will not want to miss this.




For me this description is not totally correct, the mids are very recessed. And make the sound more like an extreme V shape, bass is very present and also the upper treble. They say that the bass and upper treble is in focus and that is true, when listening to cymbals as they explain it has a good sparkle.

Overall the sound is soft and veiled, with full low end. As the bass is strong and full it is wrong saying it's thin, but the mids is thin and lacks presence.

Bass is big and soft, it's not the more visceral style that most DDs have and especially the fast DDs. It digs deep and can please most bass bass lovers, for me it sounds too soft and lacks impact. This is the same type of BA bass that many have complained of is not sounding like a dynamic driver, if you're not used to better BA bass this will probably sound good. Also using the set for a long time to get your ears adjusted makes it sound better and better, but then swapping over to a good DD makes it very obvious.

Mids is veiled for me, both instruments and vocals seem way too often like it's playing behind a carpet dampening the sound. While they sound okay, it's too distant and has not enough detail going on. I use Piano music very often to listen to how realistic it sounds, especially since I am used to hearing piano in my house from both my wife playing and myself. It is hollow on most ranges of the piano, and lacks a good realistic timbre.
Strings lack detail and fullness, going to brass instruments like Sax it is hollow and lacks detail. Good thing is that aggressive trumpet playing is tamed and less piercing, same for other instruments.
Male vocals are better than female, no doubt. Male vocals sound okay on most artists just a little thick, just a few that get more nasal sounding. Almost all females lack presence, and appear quite veiled.

Treble is better than the mids, and has some good detail and treble. Not on every song out there, depends how much of the detail is in the lower treble or upper treble. The cymbal hits on drums has a nice shimmer and has that extra making it sound more real, same for other percussion instruments. I also listen to much electronica where there are sometimes electronic sounds in the upper treble. I can then hear that Meteor has very good extension up top, almost too much where some tracks get very fatigued.

Soundstage is okay, more like a studio than an avenue in size. Would call it average in depth and width, it's also very circular. Imaging is very spot on.





Meteor vs Neon pro

First off this is not to trash Meteor, I wanted to try Meteor as I have heard so much praise. I love my Neon Pro and have it as a reference IEM, hoping for Meteor to be good as I love the design and wanted another all BA IEM. Using Neon Pro with switch ON as it makes the low end very similar in amount, the mids get then impacted slightly on some vocals.

Neon Pro is also not vented but the shell is larger so I never get any pressure build-up.

I will keep it short on this part, as it's in a different league and is not fair.

Bass is faster, more visceral. Not soft and actually sound close to a DD, resolution is high level above. Especially when listening to double bass playing with lots of resonances going on in the bass range. Drum kicks are as it should, not soft thuds like on Meteor.

Mids is leagues above, crystal clear sound on NP. Male vocals similar to Meteor is a little thicker sounding due to bass, but is more present and clear with more detail. Females have much more presence and are not veiled, even with the tuning switch on and gets even better with it off.
All instruments have more resolution, piano sounds real and true to life. Drums have a better impact and are actually present in the music. String and wind instruments, doesn't matter what instrument its clear and forward.

Treble is also super detailed with NP, even with the boosted upper air spike on Meteor the Neon Pro has more realistic air and shimmer. Super clear treble on acoustic and electronic music, and don't have that same fatiguing tendency.

Soundstage is very personal, Neon Pro has almost the largest stage and separation I have tried. Wider and deeper than Meteor, imaging also spot on perfect.










Conclusion

This is not the set for me, that is quite clear. I almost wish there was something wrong with the Meteor, I also got my wife with her petite ears to try it. She did say they were cute and small with nice ergonomics, but at first listen she also said the same, it was veiled and almost no detail in the music.

Had to ask a friend who also has many IEMs, and full BA sets. He demoed the Meteor at Zeppelin, first words this is totally not worth it. Unnatural, veiled and like listening from another room instead of in front of speakers

I am not sure what to say really, I have big problems understanding the $600 price. I have liked many BA sets before this (Bravery, SA6, RSV and Neon Pro).
Maybe it's good for intense music to relax it down, or this is just a tuning type some like.

Ranking System

1 Very bad or unlistanable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

Going by this ranking system together with my deeper evaluation matrix, the Meteor get a 3. Personally I think its not worth it, even if this tuning is maybe what they did go for.

ISN NEO 5

Disclaimer

The NEO 5 is the 4th IEM I have owned from ISN Audio, I bought it with a small discount for the review. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for a good time, and I have no association with ISN writing this.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current standard in IEMs is AüR Audio NEOn Pro and Penon Serial. The NEOn Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me on the brighter side. The Penon Serial that also has a near perfect tonality for me, that is more euphonic and organic sounding with its triple DD configuration. Both of them have sound signatures that I can listen to all types of music with.
Another set that has shown me how good DD can be in the low end is the AüR Audio Aurora, while not taking over the mids and showing superb natural sound.
In general 3 good sets that set the stage high when I compare other sets.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have also used the Feliks Audio Echo, one of the more silent OTL amps.

Portable gear used during the review: Penon Tail, Truthear SHIO, Tempotec Sonata HD II , Hiby R6 III, Quidelix 5k.

I have a good range of cables from ISN, DUNU, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS and Gladiator Cables.




Who is ISN Audio

ISN Audio is a brand under Penon Audio, Penon started in 2013. ISN has a wide range of both cables and IEMs.

When you read around on the forums about ISN, you will notice that people say that ISN is IEMs with a more bass heavy and bright sound signature. While this has some truth, the H30 has a more balanced neutral W shaped sound. And the EST50 is more of L shaped sound with great bass and no offensive upper range.

https://isnaudio.com/
https://penonaudio.com/
https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-NEO-5.html?search=isn NEO 5

ISN D01 7mm DLC DD
ISN D02 10mm Carbon Chrystal DD
ISN D10 9mm DD
ISN H30 9.2mm Beryllium Frosted DD Bass + 2 BAs mids and highs
ISN H40 9.2mm DD + 1 BAs Mids + 2 BAs Highs
ISN H50 10mm Composite DD + 2BAs Mids + 2BAs Highs
ISN EST50 10mm DD + 1 BA Mids + 1 Highs+ 2 EST Ultra Highs
ISN NEO 5 10mm DD + 4BA


They also have cables from cheaper models to their top model the ISN Solar.



So what is the NEO 5

Taken from the product listing:


ISN Audio NEO 5 4 BA + 1 Dynamic Driver Hybrid 2Pin 0.78mm HiFi Audiophile IEMS

Description

ISN Audio NEO series, different tuning style

Handmade, durable and solid.

Semi-transparent purple shell

Medical grade resin material, light and beautiful, comfortable to wear.

5 drivers hybrid earphone, 10mm diaphragm dynamic driver with 4 Knowles BA hybrid.

HiFi 8 shares single crystal copper silver-plated cable, single share is 19 cores, a total of 8 × 19.

Specifications

Brand:ISN Audio

Model: NEO 5

Driver: 4 Balanced Armature + 1 Dynamic driver hybrid

2 x Knowles BA for high frequency

2 x Knowles BA fo middle frequency

1 x 10 mm diaphragm dynamic driver for low frequency

Material: resin

Impedance: 26 Ω @1kHz

Sensitivity: 110 ± 3dB @1kHz

Frequency response: 10-20kHz

Connector: 2pin 0.78mm

Cable length: 1.2M

Package

ISN NEO 5 earphone

Warranty

18 months warranty



Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

The sound of the NEO 5 is bold with a big low end, mids and treble is refined with no BA timbre. Mids are full and on the thicker side for vocals, while treble is inoffensive. The timbre is not accurate for perfect acoustic playback, but is still a high performer.


Going to use the ranges here in review:




Details and soundstage

Overall resolution is good, it is not too dark or veiled. The part that has the most detail and expression goes to the mid range, even if the bass slightly bleeds into mids. Soundstage is rather intimate, but at same time has very good imaging cues.

Bass

Bass is of the slower more mid bass heavy style, very full and euphonic. Sub bass also reaches very low with a great subwoofer like rumble and impact, not the fastest type of bass. So while it slams hard, it does not have the most snappy bounce back. At the same time this type is very fun especially within Hip Hop with sampled bass, also since the amount is also boosted.

The amount of bass is north of what is neutral in the whole bass range, very fun and should delight most bassheads.

Mids

Depending on the artist or type of singing the NEO 5 is superb, with loads of detail going to show both low and high mids. It is just that since the mid bass is also boosted it touches the midrange, it adds thickness and takes away some detail.

Female artists on the darker side are good and I like this type of vocal presentation, but when listening to more airy and bright vocals it sounds slightly off.
Affects females much more than males, personally I like a more thick sound on males.

String instruments have great detail and warmth, brass is also very nice without being shouty. Just not the crispest and clear sound, more on the smooth thick style. This goes for most instruments going on in the upper part of the midrange.

Treble

Treble is inoffensive without trouble areas making fatigue, and has good enough detail to not sound veiled. For the most part the treble is good, measurements also show great air. But for some reason I don't find the sound very airy, maybe since there is not so forward treble. So even if the air region is boosted it doesn't get the realism right. I find that some instruments lack realism, for example how a cymbal doesn't have the right sparkle and sound blunted. Or have a violin don't have that airy and crisp sound, or how the higher notes on piano seem off.



Synergies

A small part about what gear I have been enjoying the most with the Aurora.

All my dongles or amps have sounded good with NEO 5, be it based on ESS or CS chips in the DACs. The resolving Penon Tail has been the most resolving and full sounding dongle for Aurora. Going into DAPs and AMPs, the Cayin N7 in Class A does give the NEO 5 more warmth and make it sound clearer with more treble detail over the Penon Tail.

As for tips most of my open bore tips work perfectly, but what I have used the most is Penon own green tips that were in the pack.
Used the stock cable ISN S8 for a long time and works great, but had to test more.
XINHS SPC is the same as Cadmus and White Crane cables, and is an upgrade from S8 with better note weight and resolution.
Then tried to use my Penon Mix, this cable does seem to push the treble more forward and keep low end similar to XINHS.
My Gladiator Cables in copper, delivering great bass and resolution.
Since I find NEO 5 slightly thick and bassy I prefer to go for Penon Mix as it balances the sound.





Music

I will just talk about some of the music I like, the music I use here are some of my reference tracks and also just some I like. When I am listening to music and not evaluating, I prefer to listen to whole albums. When comparing the NEO 5 to other sets I have used the tracks listed here and more. I have some extra focus on music with bass this time, as it's also something the NEO 5 excels at.




Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington - From My heart and My Soul

Terrace Martin has some great releases within the jazz or jazz hop genre, this is no exception and is a superb album and track. He has a nice voice and has an old school vibe, like a 90s hip hop sound blended with jazz. The track is very bass heavy with a thicker mid presentation.

The bass with NEO 5 is so big, and really powerful. Don’t care if it slightly steals the show over the vocal, it is so big and can rumble your brain. The bass here is of the slow type in the mix, and rumbles for a long time. NEO 5 is extremely fun with it.

The vocals are also on the darker side and I love this extra fullness, but it's at the cost of getting drowned a little by the bass.



AES DANA - Jetlag Corporation

Vibrant and powerful Electronica, not sure about genre really. Is tagged as IDM, Downtempo, Deep Tech and Progressive Trance. Perfect for checking tonality, bass and treble detail.

First off NEO 5 has bass that is big and bold here, almost too big as it drowns the rest of the mix slightly. This is nitpicking and I find bass close to perfect here. When looking at overall resolution, it's not the best but I think it competes well in its price range. The good thing is that the treble is not too forward aggressive, makes it pleasant for a longer time also at louder volume.



Symbolico - Like Water

I have been into similar music for a long time, a short while ago I discovered Symbolico. Psychedelic electronica or glitch hop, but genre doesn't matter. What matters is how good this guy from Israel is at mixing together everything into something magical.

The beat is addicting, you do get into a trance-like state of mind listening to this. When we talk about heavy hitting bass that will rattle your brain this is that, I do wonder how the sets from Fatfreq or the new Penon Turbo would do. As it already rattles your brain here, so I can not imagine how those are. Bass is huge and slow decaying, same as the AES DANA track this music deserves DD in my book.

I feel that NEO 5 does okay for its resolution here, nothing spectacular but nothing wrong. It is overall a full sound, and I personally find the tonality good for this. Maybe I just could have wished for some more upper energy or less bass.




Emanuel - Need You

Need You is an emotional song, Emanuel has a nice vibe going on here. Touching and with great emotions, the piano accompanying it feels very grounded and pure. The deep heavy bass kick also enhances the emotional vibe.

Emanual has music I love with AüR Audio AURE, and NEO 5 has very similar qualities. It is close but lacks some of the AURE magic.

Piano is on the mellow side but detailed and full, every note has weight to it. And the bass kick is dramatic and big with a slow decay that is very correct in this setting.

His voice is powerful and smooth with throbbing nuances, nothing is muddied up by NEO 5 and I would say the thicker sound of NEO 5 makes this very euphonic.



Veronica Swift - This Bitter Earth

Recently heard this one, great for checking female vocals, piano and violin. Her voice is beautiful, it is touching and emotional. NEO 5 has very good resolution and gives her justice, picking up nuances in both her more slow silent part and the more forward airy part.

Piano sounds overall very real, with just some notes that seem off, lacking something that takes away realism. Violin also has great detail but lacks that little extra that I like.



YOUNHA - WINTER FLOWER (Feat. RM)

YOUNHA is a female artist from Korea with a superb voice, together with RM a rapper that is very well known. Mainly going to focus on the voice of both artists here, the instruments are not that forward in the mix.

His voice is very correct and the thicker presentation gives him great fullness, but is also slightly distant. Some of it is due to the recording, so I find it very good overall.
YOUNHA is different sounding than some other sets with a leaner vocal range. When compared to a brighter set IEMs, it will not have the same airiness.
The dynamic range of her voice is shown clearly, and when she is going intense and high it does not get sibilant or tiresome.



The Comet is Coming - Birth of Creation

Nu jazz from London, a group consisting of King Shabaka on sax, Danalogue on keyboard and Betamax on drums. This album is special and has been in my listening rotation since it came out, the track Birth of Creation is one of the best tracks on the album.

Sax is played with finesse and has a mellow and dark sound, almost like a voice singing. The drums gave a nice mix of sparkling cymbals, hits and nice kicks. While the keyboard makes this more of a mix between electronica and jazz, it's a cool track with a story being told.

The NEO 5 does not have the right tonality for me here, I find it too thick. The track is already mellow, and the NEO 5 just enhances it. Sax is a little too veiled for me, lacking ultimate detail and nuance. Cymbal hits lack the sparkle and sound unreal, while the drums are better.
It is not that it sounds bad, but it's not what I prefer for this.



Tzusing - Nature Is Not Created in the Image of Man’s Compassion

Techno or EBM album, not for everyone I admit that.. Some sets can be very tiresome here, I both like this album and use it as a test for fatigue and bass amount. BA bass fails for me here, doesn't matter if its top of the line drivers and implementation.

Just feel that bass on NEO 5, it is big and it holds the pressure under the whole length. The extra sounds are not shouty or tiresome, the metal screech dont kill my ears. The spatial cues are also quite good, and make it feel like you're surrounded by sound.



Black Sabbath - Children of the Grave

Always been a fan of the earlier works from Black Sabbath, this is maybe one of my favourites from Sabbath. Music like this I prefer on more thick sounding sets like the Penon Serial making it all sound fuller.

NEO 5 gives the whole track the fullness and note weight it deserves, similar to how Serial does this. The distorted guitar is great and full, and the bass guitar is also great with authority. The drums are also very well done, with full power and attack. But here also the cymbal is slightly off, it lacks the extra sizzle.
Ozzy has good detail and NEO 5 keeps the edginess of his voice, while being clear and forward.

The ending is really good, spooky almost. The static noise of the recording together with the whispering give a nice ambient feel. And show that the NEO 5 can be quite resolving also.



The Dark Side of the Moon - Double Trouble / Lumos! (Hedwig’s Theme)

The Dark Side of the Moon is very awesome,this is a cool album where they have covers of known songs. Here from Harry Potter with Double trouble, just in a metal version. Rusanda Panfili plays violin both beautifully and vigorously, while Melissa Bonny is great with her voice. All the players are great, superb recording in my opinion and maybe blasphemous for the Harry Potter fans out there.

Going from the Black sabbath track to this is quite different, much cleaner and detailed recording. Drums and guitars sound full with life, violin is clear but lacks some airyness. Melissa also sounds great on the NEO 5. It is a fast track and NEO 5 never feels like it struggles to keep up with the fast parts.



Anathema - A Natural Disaster (Live)

Found this group lately, recommended by a friend from Spain that is also a lover of metal and rock. This is a live recording and sounds very open and big, and the performance is superb to be live. Her voice has lots of detail, with vibrato and big control. His voice is also really nice but she is clearly the one on focus here. Guitars, cello and drums, the whole package is really good.
This track sounds good on almost everything I have, but I do like the extra fullness of NEO 5. Drum kick sounds impactful and correct, cymbals are better here than the tracks before and sound more real. The cello is great and gets a small lift from the NEO 5 warmth, guitars also sound great.

Her vocal is portrayed near perfect, with so much detail and emotion. I find the NEO 5 to be great with females if they are not too bright and airy sounding, very correct here where it just is superb.



Comparisons

Rough estimate of how I place them in a spider chart, some of the values tip up or down to show to show off a difference.



Penon Serial

The Serial is a reference set for me on how dynamic driver IEMs should sound like, very correct in musical playback with its analog warm touch.

Serial uses 3 dynamic drivers. One for bass, mids and treble. It has a natural sound that is more analog warm, speed is also slower due to longer resonating decay. It is very musical and fun, which makes me enjoy music more than just picking it apart. So for $300, it is a unique and special IEM. I believe there is a huge chance you would buy one after demoing the Serial.

Comfort is great on both, but after maybe 30 mins with the Serial, I start to notice it. It has a bump in the shell that is not perfect for me, while NEO 5 has perfect shell design. Both have the same type of nozzle in metal, and also length. The Serial is also much harder to drive than the NEO 5, it also seems to scale more with high end gear. Even using my OTL amp is great on Serial, but sounds off on NEO 5.

Resolution of the Serial has always been good for me, but it has still not been spectacular. Bass range resolution is very similar on both sets, same for the instruments part. Only when listening to more airy instruments does it sound more correct and real on the Serial. Some complain that Serial is dark sounding, don't agree. Maybe on the darker side but it still has some great treble details and air, but power is a thing here. Try and volume match when testing and it's much closer in darkness between NEO 5 and Serial.

Bass is very good on Serial, has a very good balance of sub and mid bass. Bass is slightly on the slower side, NEO 5 has bass that is snappier with a harder edge to it.
Sub bass has great rumble and impact on both, mid bass is also very similar. Mid bass is more elevated on the Serial, this means even more euphonic bass and instrument playing.

Mids seems to me to be slightly too thick in the lowest range on the Serial, similar to the NEO 5. The vocals seem closer in NEO 5 and further out on Serial, this makes it for me so the Serial has a slightly more natural presentation on vocals. Same goes for instruments, it is more organic sounding with the Serial. I am not saying NEO 5 has a bad midrange, but just that Serial is a step up for me. But at the same time NEO 5 has a clearer midrange, which can be better for some music.

Treble can have some blunted edge to it on NEO 5, while I find both to have similar treble detail. It is a tonality difference due to the BA against the Serial DD, the NEO 5 can also seem brighter without actually having more detail.

Stage is larger on Serial and smaller on NEO 5, this also goes for layering of the stage.

Some songs and how they do:

The Bitter Earth has more airiness and sounds more real on the Serial, be it piano or her voice. Resolution is almost the same, but there is something about the Serial not shown in the NEO 5 like how her vocal is doing vibrato. When talking about correct tonality, it is closer to what it sounds like in real life. The Serial has a clear win, there is something unreal about the NEO 5 in comparison.

From My Hearth and My Soul is a good example that actually shows the mid bass is more forward on Serial than NEO 5. It is more pleasant and correct on NEO 5, while also being boosted it stays more in line. The singing is better on Serial but it's shadowed more than on NEO 5, so in the end I prefer NEO 5 more. Only the drum hi hat is better on Serial.

Like Water has a big bass already, and both show a great thick low end. They are actually very similar in how they sound in the bass here. Biggest change here is that NEO 5's tonality is less dark, it's very clear that the BAs give off a cleaner sound.

Tzuing’s Nature track is big and gives some serious rumble on both sets, but is more bass heavy on Serial. How it all decays also seems slower on the Serial and snappier on NEO 5. There is actually more detail in NEO 5 when listening to the spatial cues and metal hammering.



ISN EST50

The EST50 is a tribrid that I own and love, it fits quite well in here for a comparison. It is priced higher, but is the top model from ISN. The sound of the EST50 is more L shaped in the sound signature with the sub bass taking the spotlight. Price is $449 and you get 1DD for low end, 1 BA for the mids and 1 for the high frequencies. Also for ultra high frequencies you get 2 EST drivers. Comfort for me is superb on EST50 and due nozzle being longer and in resin instead of metal on the NEO 5, even if NEO 5 is smaller I find EST the best here.

The EST50 is not the most resolving set, but it is not veiled either. And I find it more resolving than NEO 5 on its low end and high end. While the midrange is more detailed with more nuances on NEO 5.

Bass is what impressed me the most with the EST50, it is known for its great low end. Providing textured bass that is boosted and reaching very low, almost like a subwoofer backing up a stereo system. Impactful bass kicks that make you smile, at least if you are a bass lover like me.
Both have impactful sub bass, but the EST50 is the most sub bass focused. NEO 5 may have similar amounts of sub bass, but I find it less detailed. Maybe since the mid bass takes over more of the bass on the NEO 5. For example cello or bass guitar has a thicker tonality and lacks some of the finesse than EST50 have.

Mids is more forward on NEO 5 than EST50, it is also of a higher quality. I guess the BAs on the EST50 show some age compared to the new Knowles in the NEO 5. Female vocals are more smooth with less tendency to be grainy. It is also more forward and thick compared to the EST50. This also goes for male vocals, but at same time darker males can get too thick for my taste and make me prefer the EST50, even if it sounds more refined on NEO 5.
String instruments do show better layering on NEO 5, but if they use the higher strings it also lacks some airiness that EST50 have. But double bass, cello or guitars sound thick and nuanced on NEO 5 and I prefer it better here than EST50 even if it's too thick sounding.

Treble detail is better on EST50 with more sparkle and airiness, some people are calling the EST50 dark. Never thought so myself, but I guess we all hear differently. I find NEO 5 darker than EST50, the more thick low end and mids take away the focus from the treble. Listening to cymbals or percussion, the NEO 5 lack that shimmer that gives realism.

Soundstage is also much more wide and layered on the EST50, going back and forth the NEO 5 is slightly boxed in.

Double Trouble is thicker on the NEO 5 with instruments and her voice being more full and refined. The Violin doesn't sound totally correct and makes me like EST50 more, but I still would pick NEO 5 for this.

WINTER FLOWER is more airy when she goes high on the EST50, while she also can have some grittiness. NEO 5 is less airy but is nicer on her voice, and his voice is also better on NEO5 while a little thick. Prefer the NEO 5 here.

Like Water is fun on both sets, and since it's not the most technical track I can go for both sets with a slight preference for EST50. It just sounds better on the bass part and is more clean in the overall picture.

Jetlag Corporation is for me EST50 everyday, the NEO 5 is darker and lacks the finesse that the EST50 treble has. The bass is even bigger on NEO 5 but at the same time more unrefined. Technical electronica deserve good treble, even if some of the main focus is in the bass.



ISN H30

Why the H30, first of all it is also an ISN. It is a hybrid with 1 DD and 2 BAs priced at $129. I use the H30 almost daily at work and it has a very good midrange and also sub bass reaching to the lowest octaves.

Both have an ergonomic, but the nozzle on the H30 is longer and sounds better with deep insertion. So in the end NEO 5 stays the most comfortable.

Bass is very well extended on H30, it raises almost linearly all the way. The bass is still bigger on NEO 5 as it is boosted more, the decay is faster on H30 by a good amount.

Both have good midrange, the H30 vocals and instruments appear more bright. While the NEO 5 has more euphonic thick midrange, and when listening to vocals it's more detailed going on in NEO 5.

Going up into the upper midrange/ lower treble is where it goes a little down for H30.The H30 has some extra energy around 5-7k Hz, this can be fatiguing for some depending on how sensitive you are to this range. it is not sibilant, the energy is more forward. NEO 5 is more relaxed here in comparison, and if a song has sibilance it is controlled best on NEO 5.

Upper treble is well extended on both, and I find both okay in treble extension. While some shimmer on percussion is more present on H3, in general instruments using the treble have better realistic timbre.

Also a note on soundstage. The H30 is really good for its price, and is larger than NEO 5 with more depth and width.

This Bitter Earth is very clean and detailed on H30, but lacks some soul to it and sounds cold.
NEO 5 has more organic piano, violin and singing.

Need You by Emanual is not as impressive on H30 as NEO 5, it lacks the fullness of his vocal and the piano also is too thin. The clapping more out in the track has a sharp edge to it on H30 that is more pleasant on NEO 5.

Birth of Creation is much more correct and nice on H30, more clear sound. Bass is not taking over too much on the H30, so the instruments can shine more.

Children of the Grave is clear and nuanced on H30, but lacks the extra oomph that NEO 5 gives. Cymbals while having the extra sparkle on H30 are also on the more sharp side.
And I would pick NEO 5 every day over H30 for more old metal music like this.

Jetlag Corporation has more detail going on in H30, but at the same time is slightly too sharp sounding. So I would also pick NEO 5 for this, even if the bass has a faster sound to it I prefer the boosted slower NEO 5 bass here.



Summary

I like the ISN NEO 5 very much, it has a fun and euphonic sound. And is one of the best hybrids you can get around the price, especially if you like that Penon style warm low end. It is not the IEM I would use for perfect playback of acoustic music, but more the fun set you have for electronica or Hip Hop.

ISN have full bodied sound with ISN NEO 5, and also have a more full sounding midrange with a more relaxed approach to treble. So a perfect set for those who want an inoffensive sound with great low end, should please more bass heads than the neutral crowd.

It gets a thumbs up for me, even with my cons. If Penon would come with another model in the NEO series I would have loved some changes, EST50 style bass with NEO 5 mids. And get in some ESTs, or other drivers for its treble to sound more natural.

Ranking System

1 Very bad or unlistanable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

Price can push something up or down half grade.

Going by this ranking system together with my deeper evaluation matrix, the Neo 5 get a 4 in sound qualities.

HIBY R8 II - Bordeaux Red

Disclaimer

The R8 II is the 5th DAP I have owned from HIBY. I did buy the R8 II with a discount in return for a review through @MusicTeck. Reviewing DAPs is really hard as the differences are smaller than comparing a set of headphones or IEMs, because of this the differences might be exaggerated throughout the review.

All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for a good time. These are my thoughts at this moment, and as time moves I might change my opinion.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you.
While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

My rating system highly values what is musical, so my rating will always be a subjective opinion.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, I can also like forward midrange if not excessive. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there.
I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman.
I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite Open and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current favorites in IEMs are AüR Audio Ascension and 634ears Miroak-II. The AüR Audio Ascension is a tribrid with 1DD 5BA and 2EST, that is tuned to be warm and natural. Miroak-II is my favorite single DD, it has a warm and bassy sound that is also very natural sounding. Both of the models clearly belong to the similar category for, and aligns with my taste for warm sound that is more organic.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have only one DAP, the HIBY R6 Pro2. But I do have plenty of dongles to change up the sound, from neutral ones to some that are warm and analogue.
I have a good range of cables from Clan Audio, DUNU, Effect Audio, NiceHCK, XINHS and Gladiator Cables.

https://shop.musicteck.com/products/hiby-r8-ii





Who is HIBY

Personally I have been using their products for a few years, it was the small R3 Pro Saber that made me interested in DAPs. And over the years HIBY has grown to become my favorite DAP maker, providing good quality at a reasonable price.

From their own About Us Page:

HiBy is a company with over 15 years of expertise in the field of music players, and it has two subsidiary brands: HiBy Music and HiBy Digital. HiBy Music focuses on developing high-fidelity, high-quality portable music players and headphone decoders. HiBy Digital, built on HiBy's years of expertise in the professional field, has created a stylish digital music consumer electronics brand, enabling more music enthusiasts to experience their own unique musical beauty.




https://store.hiby.com/pages/about-hiby



So what is the R8 II

The HIBY R8 II is their newest Digital Audio Player (DAP) priced at $1999, combining new technology and excellent build quality.

According to their own website R8 II is their flagship DAP, this is interesting as the RS8 is a more expensive DAP. The R8 series of DAPs is a higher end line than their models coming from the R6 or R3 series, there has been a previous R8 that also was highly regarded.

The DAC section of the R8 II is a special one, combining the DARWIN MPA from their R2R DACs together with a Delta Sigma implementation. From my understanding it's 16 DAC parts that go into the mix, with lots of tech that is outside of my understanding of DACs.

The amp section is OPAMP based with switchable Class A or AB, 3x OPA1612 + 2x ADA4625-2 for the Output Amplification and NJW1195 for the Volume. There is also the Turbo mode to increase the 6V to 7.5V for more power, at the cost of battery time.

The internal parts are high quality, much of it carries over from their previous flagship RS8.

Instead of listing all the specs:




Design

Starting off with the design, the model I have here is the Bordeaux Red version. It's covered in glass, surgical steel and Alcantara. The R8 II is a fairly large player and weighs 515g, not a light weighter.
Even so it's comfortable to hold in the hand both without or with the supplied case, but this is clearly a DAP for sitting down instead of your neighborhood walk.

Looking from the front the R8 II looks normal except for the fact that the screen is longer than most DAPs, similar to smartphones now have more height and remain the same width.

The display is 5.9” IPS HD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass, provides good colors and dynamic range for a DAP display. As we are here for music and not the display it's probably not as important for everyone, but for me it's important as we are used to quality screens on our smartphones. The front glass also has a slight rounded edge toward the metal bezel, looks nice but also makes the glass protector have a limit for how far it can go to the edge. On the flip side if you remove the screen protector and use it without a case you get a very premium feel.



The backside of the R8 II is covered in alcantara fabric, making it comfortable to hold and look awesome. Also make it so it doesn't feel so fragile when you put it down on a hard surface like a glass table. Only concern I have is that this might get ugly over time. I decided on red but I bet black is the safest if we think about the long term and how stains would show, even if alcantara is one of the better fabric materials to clean.



The bottom of the player should be familiar for most Cayin and HIBY users, here you have line out ports on the right side in both balanced and single ended. The left side has the headphone outputs, in both 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced. In the middle is the USB Type-C port USB 3.2, that is used for both charging and other functions. Can be used as DAC, Digital Out, SPDIF and probably more.



The packaging is nice and clean without being over the top, you get a few accessories.
The TPU case fits snug and has the same alcantara fabric, but on the sides instead. The case works perfectly and has working buttons that don't miss press like another DAP I will talk about later.
There is no charger in the box, only a USB C cable to get you going. There is also an extra screen protector if you need to change it, there is also a transparent protector for the bottom of the player.



The button layout is different from my previous HIBYs, here you have volume on the left side. Yes there is no volume wheel, but personally I prefer it this way.
The right side of the player has Back, Pause/Skip, Forward and ON/OFF buttons, intuitive and positioned so it's easy to press correctly. The right side also has the Micro SD card that can hold up to 2TB, but can not be accessed when the TPU case is on.



Usability, battery and UI

The player is ready to use right after turning it on, you just have to go to the Google Play Store and install your favorite streaming app or insert your Micro SD card.

When adjusting the volume with the physical buttons, the volume interface pops up on the screen. Then you can easily adjust it with your fingers instead by dragging the yellow line up or down.

The battery runs for around 12-14 hours for me when using medium gain and class AB, this is also with the display on for much of the time.

With the display off and using low gain on sensitive IEMs it would probably work even longer, but the other way using class A and Turbo was more like 8-10 hours. Did not try it scientific when testing this, so take the numbers with a little scepticism.



From the drop down menu you have access to quick settings, I advise you to edit the list for what is most suited for you. Here you can then access Gain, class A/AB, Darwin Controller and more settings. To access the menu you just need to drag your finger down from the top, then 4 of the quick settings are visible. Drag another time down to see the rest of the quick settings, and also the settings and edit button.

Been smooth sailing with the R8 II, never a freeze or anything that made the player stop or have problems. The quality of the Wi-Fi connection has worked well, even if I have been outside in my garden.

It is fast enough in use for a DAP, of course it will be more sluggish than the flagship android smartphones. But I find the performance here is good, also it helps that the player has 8GB RAM so more than one app can be open or for some multitasking.

Since this is an android device there are endless settings to adjust, not going to go through this in the review. I bet some other reviews will be more thorough on this part.





The included HIBY Music Player is the professional edition, it's easy to use and works great.
My main listening is with streaming, I have used Tidal, Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify. R8 II has worked flawlessly on both my files or when streaming.



I want to talk about the 8 way EQ band, this is called MSEB and is HIBY’s built in EQ. They have words or descriptions instead of the actual ranges, you can search online and find a description of what each of them is doing. It's a fairly easy way to change the sound, it also works system wide on the player.

Photo two and tree is what I use sometimes when I want to EQ, it's a plugin that works as a 3 way EQ. It works in a different way than normal EQ as it also affects the dynamics of the sound, personally I have used it to increase bass on some sets or even boost/cut the highs.



Sound impressions

When evaluating the R8 II I have often used the albums found in the playlist under. Also I have used a lot more music that is not in the Tidal playlist, but should give a good idea of the music used.

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/ad7bbfa3-2067-4235-b2ed-f5a3fb53ff28

I have a few hundred hours of playtime now, mention it in case the player needs to burn in for the ultimate sound reproduction.

The HIBY R8 II has a neutral sound, it presents music in a natural way with some warmth. I have been extremely satisfied with the sound, it doesn't color the sound but also doesn't sound boring or sterile.

The R8 II has a fatigue free sound for me, being more analogue and not as digital as some Sigma Delta sources are.

The background is super black, even on my most sensitive IEM the Neon Pro I can not hear any noise. The transients are super clear and fast, the dynamic range being on the large side.
This makes the R8 II a very resolving player, and is as good as other flagship DAPs I have tried in the past if not better.

The soundstage has a wide and large projection, much of this depends on the transducer being used. I found it quite large when I compared it to R6 Pro 2 and N7, the concert hall description of HIBY is of course a little exaggerated.

The sound profile makes the R8 II suitable for all the gear I have used, and with the added MSEB or Plugins I can then instead change the sound as I want to. This also means that it won't help smooth down spicy treble by itself, if you want that you have to access the built in EQ options.

I need to mention that the upper mids are more forgiving than some other sources, which helps on some IEMs that I can find borderline shouty.

Another standout feature is the bass, it has extra textured quality and more of a deep sub bass focus.

I will come back to the sound more in the comparison later against the N7 and R6 Pro 2.

Sound Settings

Class A and AB sound to me very close to the same, I find it hard to notice on IEMs. Even super resolving sets, it's first when I used a hard to drive earbud that the class A sounded fuller and smoother sounding. Due to this I let it stay in AB for most of my listening, as I use this mainly for easy to drive IEMs or earbuds. I do believe the battery drained slightly faster on Class A, so a positive point using AB instead.
Turbo didn't change the sound that much but again more than Class A/AB, a small amount more impactful sound. Its first when I used harder to drive gear it helped push the dynamic range and make it sound more full.

The Darwin Controller is also an interesting thing, I personally don't think the filter changes anything. If it does, it's so small that it's negligible.
When looking at where DAC filters are positioned ita arguable it might be noticeable on 19200 kHz files, but when you use more high res music like 48000 kHz the filter effect is moved far out from the human hearing.
The Harmonic Controller is different and does seem to affect the soundstage making it more spacious when changed to max. This is also subtle and doesn't affect all IEMs a much as some.



Line out to external gear

R8 II has a super clean output when paired with my Topping A90 Discrete or Feliks Audio Echo. It might be a little more treble emphasized and airy than my desktop DAC Topping E70 ESS, it also has slightly more heft to the lowest sub bass. Other than that the stage and resolution is close to the same.



Headphones, Earbuds and IEMs

This is my main use of a DAP, in fact not so much headphones as I have slightly hard to drive headphones that I use with desktop amps instead. Going to just talk about some pairings and what I think with each of them, very short impressions. I find the neutral organic sound of R8 II to suit everything I have on the IEM and earbud side. Most of my impressions under here have been against the HIBY R6 Pro 2, but also sometimes against the Cayin N7 or Topping E70 + A90 Discrete.



The FranQL Blue Moon, this is a 130 ohm Beryllium earbud. The sound is delicate and very resolving, with good extensions both ways with natural presentation. This is fairly easy to power from most DAPs and dongles, the only problem with some amps is that they can get a little bright sounding.

The R8 II has better control of the highs, creating a sound that is more velvety and airy than my other portable gear. Bass is tight and controlled, with delicate notes from bass to the highest note. I'm very impressed, and it is now my favorite pairing with this earbud.



Venture Electronics Zen 3.0, this is a 300 ohm earbud that is hard to drive from portable gear. Usually I use this together with my Feliks Audio Echo OTL amp, as they have perfect synergies.
It has good note weight and warm tonality in both the bass and midrange, with clear treble.

I have a portable DAC/Amp that works, but I haven't had any DAP that can drive it without an external amplifier.

When using something like the Cayin N7 it loses dynamic range and sounds thin with weak bass, then change to the R8 II and it gets close to the dynamics of a strong desktop amp. Sounding full and engaging with deep bass presentation for a earbud, so good that I don't mind using this as my goto solution for this good earbud. It's still a small step behind my Topping A90 Discrete, but the gap is close enough I don't mind using it straight from the R8 II.



AüR Audio Neon Pro is a 10 BA set from Singapore, and has been one of my favorites for a long time. It has a resolving and expansive sound, tuned in an energetic U shaped signature.
Together with R8 II it sounds airy extended in the highs, with a bass presentation that sounds very good for BA. Neon Pro also sounds good on the cheaper R6 Pro 2, but on the R8 II I get a more analogue and engaging sound. It gets more soul into the music, the soundstage expands with more 3D imaging. And I can not hear any noise when using 4.4mm, a good sign since the Neon Pro is very sensitive.



Oriveti OH700VB is the newest flagship from this brand, delivering a neutral sound with a clean bass boost that reminds me of a subwoofer backing up speakers. The model has 1DD and 6BA, there is also a switch to reduce the mid bass.

The R8 II matches again perfectly and delivers natural sound, bass is controlled with excellent slam or sub bass rumble. It keeps the bass separated from the midrange better than on R6 Pro 2, a part of the tuning also of course. It's tighter in the bass than the R6 Pro 2, and also delivers more of a deep sub bass rumble. Instruments like sax are resolving and less shouty than R6P2, there is also a more dimensional and deep stage. The mid bass slam can actually be less than R6P2, but again more controlled.



Hisenior Mega5EST is a tribrid with 1DD, 2BA and 2EST, tuned more on the neutral side with some warmth in the low range.

Since this has a natural sound that's also never shouty or bright, it sounds just correct on R8 II.
What surprised me is that the treble was more silky and present here than my desktop amp, an interesting finding and makes me wonder if it just drives the EST driver better.



Campfire Bonneville is a fun and voluptuous IEM, thick and bombastic bass with a forward and crisp treble. The midrange is on the darker thick side, the stage is also large and spacious.

Bass is more controlled on R8 II than R6 Pro 2, the treble also less sharp. Soundstage expands even more, especially in the height and depth.

Also a note about HIBY, the Bonneville has bright treble and doesn't work on all music. Using the MSEB reducing the sibilance LF and HF slider works excellent, it now has no problems with the treble anymore.

Or other way using the DRX10K plugin to reduce some bass and treble make it less dark and warm to suit more music.



634ears Miroak-II Cocobolo is one of my favorite IEMs, it's made by an excellent maker in Japan. The configuration is 1 DD, the sound is rather analogue and warm.

Interesting here is that the R8 II sounds less punchy than R6 Pro 2, instead giving back more of a deep and thick sub bass rumble. The midrange is also more resolving and euphonic in R8 II, but again it sounds good on both sources.



TIMSOK TS-316 is a really good single DD that's clear and resolving, has a U shaped sound with excellent sub bass depth and clear detailed upper range. Can on some sources like Cayin N7 sound quite shouty and bright.

R8 II gives it a more analog nature over N7 or other sigma delta devices, making it more euphoric sounding and refined in the upper mids and highs. It still has plenty of treble energy, but is better controlled. So here also the MSEB can be a good thing for people that are sensitive to upper mids or treble.



Koss KPH40 is a variant from the Porta Pro, 60 ohm and fairly easy to drive. Cheap and small but scale with good amps, bass can sound a little hollow and uncontrolled on weaker sources.

Clear that R8 II has more power than the little brother R6 Pro 2, it has a more full and lively sound. More real sounding with natural transients and timbre, the soundstage opens up a good amount. Bass especially is more fun and impressive, none of the amps you use will do magic on the sub bass as KPH40 don't reach that low.



The ZMF Verite Open is a 300 ohm headphone that needs a lot of power to sound good, I prefer to use this with OTL amps.
I still had to give it a listen on r8 II, it lacks some dynamic range and fullness of sound compared to desktop gear. Much like I expected it to do, so for this usage case it's better to have an external amp plugged to the line out on R8 II. It's better sounding than the Cayin N7 and HIBY R6 Pro with the Verite, but I still don't advise R8 II for hard to drive headphones.




Comparisons

I only have one other DAP, the HIBY R6 Pro 2. For the review I met a friend to try the N7 again, I owned one before and also wrote a review on it.
When I talked about sound on the different transducers above, I used the R6 Pro 2 for most of my comparing.



HIBY R6 Pro 2

The R6 Pro 2 is their best model in the R6 series, it is a much cheaper DAP than the R8 II at $799. Both have similar Android 12 and Snapdragon 665 SOC, with the same large IPS HD display.

If we look at hardware differences, the R8 II has twice the RAM with 8GB and also a larger storage of 256GB vs R8P2 with 64GB. The DAC and AMP section is also very different, the R6 Pro 2 Sigma Delta chips from AKM and has no Darwin Architecture.

It is physically smaller than the R8 II as it's not as thick or heavy, 285g vs 515g and 15mm vs 23mm. Some of the weight is the much larger battery of 12000mAh vs 5000mAh, the other reason is that R8 II is stainless steel and the R6P2 is aluminium.



The power output is also stronger with 4.4mm 383mAh vs the R8 II with 710mAh measured with 32ohm, this is not in volume percentage. It's also noticeable in use on harder to drive stuff like some headphones or earbuds, where the R6 Pro 2 struggles with poor dynamics the R8 II can exceed and sound excellent. This also depends on how difficult the headphones are, none of them is going to drive a Modhouse Tungsten.

It should also be mentioned that the LO and PO are swapped from R6 series and R8, actually plugged wrong at first listen with R8 II. The button layout is also improved, on R8 II the volume controls are on the left side alone. The R6 Pro 2 has it on the right side together with the power button, the buttons are also smaller and much easier to mis press on R6 Pro 2. The play buttons are also placed a little weird on R6 Pro 2, normally play/pause is in the middle of back and forward. Not on the R6 Pro 2 that has back and forth beside each other, this is something you learn over time.
But when the case comes into use, the R6 Pro 2 is horrible to use as you mis press all the time. On the R8 II you actually have better control with the case on, quite different.

The biggest downside of the R6 Pro 2 is the bad battery time, you will not get more than 4-6 hours depending on settings or if the screen is on. The R8 II can roughly be active for 3 times longer, so depending on use case the R6 Pro 2 might not be a viable option.

If we go into the sound quality of both DAPs, they both excel at their own price point. The R6 Pro 2 is a very resolving player, can be a little sharp and digital sounding. But I admit I didn't really notice the digital nature when I only owned the R6 Pro2, this came much more to my attention when I acquired the R8 II. This is the first thing that I noticed with the R8 II, the sound being more refined and natural. Made me actually find the R6 Pro 2 slightly unnatural with sharper uneven transients and a smaller dynamic range, bear in mind it's easy to exaggerate here.

The R6 Pro 2 has a more crisp high end, here the R8 II is softer but remains equally as resolving if not more. I find the air to be more whispery and pleasing on R8 II, the R6 Pro has sharper air that is more present and pushed forward in the mix. The volume played is a thing that affects this more, played louder and closer to maximum volume the R6 Pro 2 gets shouty in a way that R8 II don't.

Bass is also different here, the R8 II seems to focus more on the deep sub bass. The R6 Pro 2 has more slam in the mid bass, but lacks some of the sub bass quality of R8 II.

The midrange is more forward on R8 II and vocals seem to pop more while also being more forgiving in the sound, giving what I call a more analogue and smooth delivery.

Soundstage is wider in the presentation and also deeper on the R8 II, making me wonder if there is some type of plugin to expand the stage more. Not that the change is huge, but probably different enough so you would pick it up in a blind test.



Cayin N7

I don't own the Cayin N7 anymore. The impressions here are from a long Sunday evening when I met a friend to compare, I also used my R6 Pro 2 as reference since I have compared it to N7 before.

Cayin N7 was my first more high end DAP, I don't have it anymore so this part will be fairly small. I had the opportunity to visit a friend's N7 again to refresh my memory, so I could do a fast comparison.

If I am not wrong Cayin N7 is their entry level DAP, what makes this model so special is the discrete 1 bit architecture. The DAC part is built up by discrete resistors instead of a single chip, if this makes it better or not is up to discussion. The main thing that is good about 1 bit, is that Cayin can tailor the sound more than what a chip would do. The amplification stage is also discrete with JFET (junction-gate field-effect transistor) and BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistors) parts, which also contribute in giving the sound a more analog sound. You can choose between Class A and Class AB amplification, in comparison to most other DAPs you actually hear a change.

If we start about usability, both of them are on the more bulky and heavy side. I for some reason prefer the new style of using volume buttons instead of a wheel, never thought I would say that. I actually find it easier to operate, also since it's on the side instead of top. Without a case both the models look awesome, but if we look at ergonomics the N7 is dangerously slippery. Putting on the case the Yellow N7 looks a little more premium, but has buttons that are fairly hard to navigate in the blind compared to R8.

The interface is made by HIBY for both models and is close to the same, but for some reason the N7 had a few bugs coming now and then requiring restart of DAP or reinstall. R8 II in comparison has worked buttery smooth without any problems, screen is also easier to operate due to size and also a better display.

The sound differs more than I expected, the N7 is much brighter up top. Actually more than what I prefer, I did not notice this as much when I had it myself. I would actually call the hot top end slightly unnatural with N7, the R8 II is as detailed in the highs but smoother and more natural sounding. The mids are also more forward sounding on Cayin N7, overall and more intense sound. Listening to some of my favorite jazz tracks from Casiopea and Dave Brubeck the timbre seems more pleasing and organic for me on the R8 II, especially listening to brass parts or cymbals.

Vocals can go both ways, and often come more down to the IEM. Some IEMs like the 64audio U4s I find a little soulless on midrange and vocals, adding in the N7 then gives it a small boost of musicality. This won't happen the same way on R8 II, where the U4s remain slightly boring. But then going into the MSEB it can be fixed more to my preference, then R8 II goes past the N7.

The bass seems tighter on the R8 II with better sub bass extension, the N7 might have a smaller amount more mid bass. The N7 might sound more tubelike due to this, but also due to the synergy with the midrange. Soundstage and imaging is a tough one, I really think they are similar in size while perhaps the R8 II is wider and more stage like.



Conclusion

This has been an excellent experience, it sounds as good as it looks. Well deserving its higher price point over its cheaper models, and I bet HIBY could have charged even more here.

Right now the HIBY R8 II is most likely the safest DAP purchase in the higher price segment, price is on the higher side but it's also for a reason. The total package is premium, both the quality of the player and the sound.

It is a DAP that is naturally sounding on the neutral side, but without sounding sterile or artificial. This means that I haven't found any IEM or earbud that is not suited for R8 II, they will either sound good or perfect. The player will lack the ultimate power to drive harder headphones like some planars or high impedance models, but pair it up with an external amp and you are good to go for that also.

So again HIBY has proven themselves to be a competitive player in the crowded DAP market, I for one look forward to more releases from them. But for now this will stay as my main listening solution for a long time.

Hakugei Sea-Elf



https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100....order_list.order_list_main.29.21ef1802Dy6Tsk

Hakugei is most known for their cables, and I was intrigued by this offering due to the IEM having a LCP driver while also getting a modular Hakugei cable.

Hakugei has cables ranging from the Skyrim 600$ to the cheap Kuro 15$

They are very good in the aesthetic part, some of the cables are works of art to me.

They also have some other IEM releases:

• Hakugei Mist 312$ 4BA 1DD
• Hakugei Midnight 270$ 4BA 1DD
• Hakugei Night Sky 164$ 1DD
• Hakugei Tac Bone TWS Bone Conduction
• Hakugei Redpoll MX500 40$ 1DD Earphone

Then it is the new release Sea-elf, the AliExpress sales page is typical google translated. With bold words explaining the different aspects, so take my descriptions from the site as something that can be wrong. It uses LCP Diaphragm together with N52 magnet, another member here told me it actually uses this in dual config. This did completely fly by when looking at the AliExpress listing.
This is still a single DD design, but it uses two of the magnets and diaphragm in each ear. If I understand this right. It is 16ohm and has a sensitivity of 108dB. I have a feeling this is wrong as it's harder to drive than some other sets I have with lover sensitivity.



Opening experience

First when opening the pack, I noticed the cramped tin box almost popping open since too much is put inside here. Also the tin box was almost too small for the case that's tucked in the bottom. Had to rough some feathers to get it out to say it like that.


You get a set of tips, the modular cable, case and the IEMs itself. There's nothing wrong with what's included, just maybe a little lackluster in the experience and what's in accessories and tips.



Build Quality

The cable I will write about under, build quality is great on mine.

As for the IEM the resin is black, and there is some type of printed inlay under clear resin on top. There is no seam I can notice and no hard edges, the shell itself is quite big. I have big ears and have no problem using them for hours with good comfort. The nozzle has average length and average width and should fit most IEM tips out there. It's also ventilated with no sign of driver flex.

It still looks kinds cheap, you can get cheaper stuff that looks more premium than this

Biggest design downside is that the inlay looks cheap.



About me and my gear used

I have not had any Hakugei product prior to the Sea-elf, and I bought it with my own money. My audio preference is neutral with sub and mid bass boost, mids can be forward but not excessive. Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid to early 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony DiscMan and MiniDisc.

I have tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone. My wife also has played many instruments from string instruments to wind.

My current standard in iems is SA6 and Penon Serial. One all BA with near perfect tonality for me, and the Serial with also a near perfect tonality for me.

Gear used on the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp.
Portable gear has been Tempotec Sonata HD II Dongle, Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022 DAP, Quidelix 5k DAC/AMP and Xduoo XD05 Plus DAC/AMP.



Impressions on the cable first

The cable is probably the Lucky Voice cable from Hakugei with a modular connection. I bought only the 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm connections. You can also get it with USB C or Lightning connection with a DAC inside.
Reasoning for believing its the Lucky Voice is going by the pictures showing the sleeving on the cable and the type of connections. If so then it is a LITZ 7N OCC 25AWG 60cores*0.05mm with 4 strands so a total of 240cores. Sleeve is in cotton or nylon and is very soft and flexible, it has some microphonics. Microphonics can often be a problem with cloth material cables, it's not the worst but I can notice it when playing more silent music or when i'm not playing anything. It's not the cable I would pick when moving around to say it like that. But for sitting still and relaxing to music it's good, with its softness and no ear guide it's very comfortable around the ear. It's also very light, this has one downside due to no ear guide making the cable fall off the ear when moving around.

The quality is top notch, the craftsmanship is excellent. The connectors on the modular part are tight and sit firmly, also the same can be said for the part going into the headphone jack. The connectors look also quite premium above the price point.

As for the sound there is nothing wrong with it, it's a copper cable not changing anything to the signal. When comparing it to something more expensive like ISN C2 you will notice it lacks some note weight and detail. And compared to the NiceHCK PurpleSE, a similarly priced china cable. They sound the same when going back and forth, as for the testing I used the Sea-elf itself. Also tried the cable on ISN EST50, Dunu SA6 and Penon Serial.




Sound Impression of Sea-elf

First impression when just plugging it into my dongle was OK, nothing that screamed wrong and nothing that made me overflow with joy. I used it for some days first without clinically listening or comparing it to other gear. This is also what it's best for, but back to that later. I have used them for around 20 hours while at home or work, also burned them in through the nights. They are having close to 100h hours burn in and usage.

Bass

The low end in this goes very deep, and when listening to something that uses sub bass like DOOM Eternal Soundtrack or The Dark Knight Soundtrack with Why So Serious. You will get that full rumble engaging you to have fun in games or movies.
And when listening to Mezzanine by Massive Attack the bass goes deep and has a surprising attack. The bass
The mid bass is also elevated compared to the Harman 2019 target, personally I find Harman tuning boring and wrong. The mid bass gives energy to most Electronica music or music in general, the only downside is some small bleed into the Mids.

The bass is also on the looser side with not the best definition, that's why I'm surprised by the amount of kick in Mezzanine. It's not bad by any means, and a type of bass that is fun and engaging to tap your foot to.



Mids

Mids I always go back to Rolling in the Deep by Adele, if the mids are too forward it will sound tiresome. This is borderline with the Sea-elf, Adele’s voice sounds like you sit too close to her performing making it sound too loud and raspy compared to the background piano.
While Adele is something I always check, it's not my favourite artist by a long shot, a true favourite female vocalist is Agnes Obel. Let's take Stretch Your Eyes, this track has her voice shown wonderfully while the cello also plays. On the Sea-elf her voice sounds also here to forward and to close in my head, it's not tiresome in the same way as Rolling In the Deep. It just sounds off, same with the cello it sounds a little wrong.

For male voice Opeth with the album Damnation is something I often use, his voice is a little veiled here while at the same time being a little hot. It's still better than the female voice, my standards are higher.

This also reflects itself when listening to jazz with Sax, the sound is too hot and not an enjoyable experience. While it doesn't sound very wrong it's too forward and the saxophone shows that as its already an instrument that tends to be too forward on many recordings.

Treble

Treble region is pleasing and gentle, it has a dip from 4K to 8K removing any treble sibilance. Also have some air and treble extension that's not too bad to be a lower end single DD model.
Don't have much to say here, it's not bad and not perfect. I do think the sibilance dip is too much, taking away a little too much of the details. I use different classical recordings when testing treble and air, and also listen to acoustic music overall.


Speed, Details, Imaging and Soundstage

Maybe if you read the parts before you know where I'm going with this, this is just average in technicalities and detail. I do think you can get sets that are cheaper with better details.
Imaging and where sounds come from is actually not bad, I can pick apart where instruments are in the horizontal plane. While the vertical plane or depth is again not the best. The soundstage is average in its depth making the sounds to be either in front of your face or in your head.

When trying busy music for example heavy metal it sounds too congested and not enjoyable. The only thing helping the Sea-elf is that it softens the sound if you like metal but find it too much. Good track to test this is Intronaut by Cubensis.




Comparisons

I don't have that many IEMs so I will compare to 2 other single DD IEM’s with a price point under and one hybrid that are closer in price. The Tipsy TTROMSO would have been a good contender but the drivers are now loose inside due to bad construction, and it's the better IEM of the 2 going by sound and technicalities.



Reecho SG-01 OVA3
It has an all metal build that feels very premium for the price, and has a cool effect of changing from blue to purple colouring. Biggest downside in the build is the short Nozzle. The cable and tips here are quite good.

For sound the first thing I notice is that the sound is clearer on the Reecho, bass is faster but with a lighter note weight. Mids sound more natural in both male and female voices. The lower/mid treble is a tad too hot for me on Reecho, this is better on Sea-elf. Upper treble has a more clear sound with more presence that makes them not as veiled compared to Sea-elf. Soundstage is a little deeper on SG-01 OVA. Going back and forth I do prefer SG-01 OVA, sounds more right, less veiled, less fatiguing.


Blon 03
Same can be said here: it looks and feels premium compared to the price with the all metal build. Biggest downside in the build is the short Nozzle. Also the supplied cable is nothing to brag about.

For sound this is very much the same as SG-01 OVA, the biggest difference between them is that Blon 03 is slower. Bass is better on Sea-elf with about the same attack and speed but has more note weight. Mids are also better on 03. Lower treble is very much the same as Sea-elf, maybe lacking some presence. Mid treble has less 4k energy than the SG-01 OVA and more 8k presence. But it's the same in that it's less veiled and has more detail than Sea-elf.

What I find the Blon lacks the most here is note weight.

Here I actually would have picked up the Sea-elf, it's more enjoyable. But this depends on the music also. For music with brass instruments Blon is a little better compared to Sea-elf. While with metal I'm not a fan of the Blon since it lacks some note weight in the lower treble. For voice it's very equal for me, I slightly prefer Blon.


Shozy Form 1.1
This looks and feels premium, the form factor is very good and an all resin build. This is not a DD, it is a hybrid with 1DD and 1 BA and sits at the same price as Sea-elf. Supplied with an excellent fabric cable that has no microphonics.

Form 1.1 is a IEM with a dark approach, bold mid bass, recessed lower treble but while still keeping some good upper treble and air. The bass on Sea-elf has around the same mid bass impact. The sub bass is better extended on Sea-elf, Sea-elf also has less mid bass bleed. I'm not a huge fan of male voices on Shozy since it's too pronounced, while female voices are pleasing and better on Shozy. The lower treble is under what's neutral on Form 1.1, while this is not right it sounds pleasing on music that was recorded to hot with brass. The mid treble is very close to Sea-elf with the same amount of veil. It has perhaps some better treble extension on the Shozy.

Which I prefer is the Sea-elf, the better extended low end. With better lower mids make it a better allrounder. Still since both of them are out of what I prefer in sound I will keep the Shozy. And this is because they fill a niche for me when I listen to some electronica or jazz that are too aggressive in the lower treble presence.


Conclusion
When I first opened the Sea-elf nothing really popped out. I still enjoyed them, especially when throwing on some bass heavy Techno while doing my work. They have good note weight and a fun sound. When critically sitting down to pick it apart it falls short, my IEMs standard is higher price bracket than this. Still I feel you can be better off with buying a well regarded IEM under 40$ and then buying an entry level modular cable by itself.

This is probably a sound that would please many beginners that are moving from the cheaper sets that are included with their phones or the TWS sets(some of these are starting to become really good).
The best part of the Sea-elf is actually its cable, only downside being some microphonics.

Would I recommend it, maybe. If you need a modular cable and want something with a hefty low end. I do think it sits a little too high in price, with the connectors 2.5m 3.5 and 4.4mm it should have been closer to 50$ than 80$.

Going to rate it 3 of 5 and that is generous.

The energetic Bass Cannon from UK



IMR BC 2023

Disclaimer

The BC 2023 is my first IEM from IMR, I bought it with my own money. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after using them for many months, I have no association with IMR writing this.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current standard in IEMs is AüR Audio NEON Pro and Penon Serial. The NEON Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me on the brighter side. The Penon Serial that also has a near perfect tonality for me, that is more euphonic, relaxing and organic sounding with its triple DD configuration. Both of them have sound signatures that I can listen to all types of music with.
Another set that has shown me how good DD can be in the low end is the AüR Audio Aurora, while not taking over the mids and showing superb natural sound.
In general 3 good sets that set the stage high when I compare other sets.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have also used the Feliks Audio Echo, one of the more silent OTL amps.

Portable gear used during the review: Penon Tail, Truthear SHIO, Tempotec Sonata HD II , Hiby R6 III, Quidelix 5k.

I have a good range of cables from ISN, DUNU, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS and Gladiator Cables.

Note on photo, kind of funny since this can give you the same wake up call as a fresh cup of coffee.



So what is the IMR BC 2023

IMR Acoustics was founded in 2017 by Bob, it's a brand that is based in the UK. They have many followers all over the world, even if there have been some controversies around the brand. The models they make are for the most part ordered before they are made, this has given many people a headache. Reason of this is that IMR is a master of delayed products, promised shipping dates overdue and more.

Many of their builds have been focused on having a good tonality with enough bass, especially since Bob loves bass. But there have also been models with more of a reference sound, with very special combinations of drivers. Overall an exotic line-up of models, but once sold out its second hand marker only. It is one run per product, and just lately Bob has started to have some models partnered with Penon to have as stock models.

The BC2023 is made in metal and has a very small shell, the backside is very open so you don't get that plugged in feeling so much. Good balance in the weight, not too heavy or light. Nozzle is fairly long and big, and has some comfort problems for me. But the problem was more due to angle and that the shell is small, it makes it harder to sit secure and get a good seal. Some tip rolling and a soft cable solved it, and I can use them for quite some long time without pain.







Taken from the product page of BC 2023.

https://imracoustics.com/products/imr-bc

I know many of you are bass heads (me too) and I have wanted to create the ultimate audiophile bass head IEM for a while.

The BC (bass cannon) is that very IEM!

Utilizing the all new 2023 IMR ADLC Bass Dynamic driver combined with the an all new midrange/treble ADLC (amorphous diamond like carbon) driver provides a bass heads dream IEM.

The sub bass is the most substantial and clear I could make with smooth and seamless transitions into the mid bass. Staging has plenty of height, width and depth.

The trouble with bass rich IEM is always maintaining a balance between that rich sound and detail. The new BC sets new standards for a bashed IEM and adds that detail magic and provides all the detail you could ask for with beautiful placement, luscious vocals and a beautiful treble.

If you are an audiophile bass head, could this be your end game?

Further enhancing your tuning capabilities when combined with the IMR acoustic tuning nozzles (included).

The drivers are encased in a light weight compact all anodised aluminum CNC chassis for long term durability and finish.

Hand assembled and driver matched for unrivaled finish and sound!

IMR 2023 generation Wide band ADLC dynamic driver featuring rare earth Neodymium motors with a composite diaphragm + 6mm ADLC (amorphous diamond like carbon) driver

8 acoustic audio nozzles + 6 acoustic dampers

2 Pin detachable cable (3.5mm/2.5mm balanced)

Frequency response: 8- 40000Hz

Impedance: 32 Ohm

Sensitivity: 102 +/- 3DB

24ct Gold plated 3.5mm Jack

1.4M length OFC cable

6.35mm Adapter

Carry case for all equipment

Huge selection of ear tips for the perfect fit

Limited to 50 units per run. 100 units per year total.

REQUIRES 200/300hrs + BURN IN TIME



Package and accessories

What IMR provides is excellent. There are two copper cables, one balanced and one unbalanced. Nothing spectacular about them, they sound OK and should be more than good to get your going. There is some memory in the cable and the ear guide is not perfect, for me they do not sit very secure.

Eartips are silicon, foam and double flanged silicone. The orange and gray ones are very good quality.

There is also a normal 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter.

You also get two blocks of metal with all the filters secured in one place.

The case provided is great, but is too big to take with you. So it is better to use just as a storage container at home for all the accessories.








Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

First time listening to BC 2023 was horrible, no way around it. Bass was non-existent, even my neutral flathead earbuds had the same amount of low end. The sound was overall very sharp and metallic, with a horrible timbre.
Had to have my friend test it, to be sure it's not just a sealing problem. He said the same, same did my wife when testing.

As always on IMR the description said hundreds of hours of burn in is needed, 300-500 hours in and no change. Was about to complain and ask for a refund, and asked my wife to start my DAP so it could burn in another 12 hours. What I didn't know is that the small R3 III was at high gain and 100% volume, enough volume to ruin your hearing after some seconds most likely. Guess what, the sound and drivers opened up. Bass got huge, mids clear and forward. Upper mids and treble still on the more forward almost metallic side, but much better.

So the sound here is fast and visceral, with a grand stage. Bass is tight with really good slam and speed, the amount is also on the bigger side. Mids forward and detailed, more on the clear side than thick and lush. Treble is clear and slightly sharp, and the stage is bigger than your average set.

Also a note about filter combos, I have preferred to use the stock black on black config. Another combo I liked was black bass filter and Gold for the treble, this gives the least aggressive upper mids. Had to use black bass filters on all the combinations, as the BC 2023 needed balance to balance out the sharp upper range.





Going to use the ranges here in review:





Prefer not to use any measurement when evaluating, but since I had problems I asked bob for the measurement of the BC 2023. Here with the stock black filters.



Bass

Once working as it should the bass is visceral, digs deep and can both rumble and slam hard. Sub range goes deep and I can not hear the roll off that the measurement is showing.
What I mean with visceral is that the bass is very fast, and rebounds extremely fast for a dynamic driver. Usually I am not that happy with this style of bass, but here is sounds very good and pairs well with the right music.

The mid bass is boosted and help give darker vocals some extra fullness, and have some bleed because of it.

Mids

Starting with vocals, it is boosted especially on darker vocals. This will also make some female vocals get too thick to some degree, but at the same time the more clear fast sound of the driver makes it less annoying than on slower sets with boosted mid bass. Maybe one of the reasons is also since the sibilance dip in the treble region is quite large, this takes away some of the presence on the brighter females. For this reason I can find one album having great vocals, then on the next artis it sounds like trash. So it lacks coherence going from music to music.

Instruments in general are good, and the more dry and sharp nature makes especially metal instruments very correct and addicting with extra lifelike qualities. Listened to some acoustic guitar with steel strings, and the sound is remarkable. Then go to something like a clarinet with a more mellow tone and I find it lacking soul.

Because of this I find it better with pop, rock, metal, electronica and other genres where they use less orchestral instruments. Also on much of my jazz the extra upper mid sharpness makes it unbearable on especially brass instruments.


Treble and Air

First start with the sibilance dip, it's a little too big where it removes some of the sparkle on females and on cymbals and such. But at the same time how the tonality and sharp tone is, not dipping it this much would have made it unbearable to listen to on a lot of music.

Overall the treble detail is very clear and forward, and I don't find it lacking. It is very detailed with lots of elements showing in all types of music, just when entering orchestral works I notice lack of air on certain pieces.

Soundstage and Imaging

Soundstage is very large to be an IEM, closer to earbud level in width and depth. It is wider than how forward it is, the forwardness is more similar to the best I have tried in an IEM. While the width is maybe the widest I have ever tried for an IEM, impressive and addictive. Especially fun on some live rock recordings where the stage is already big, then BC 2023 can show it vaste power.

Imaging is quite good and average for an IEM.



Synergies

A small part about what gear I have been enjoying the most with the BC 2023.

Pure copper has been my favourite, my Gladiator Cables copper Starry Night is perfect. I also like the NiceHCK Blacksoul as it takes always some of the upper mids, but it's subtle.

Tips have been a nightmare since I had comfort issues, the ones that have worked the best are Tri Clarion. The second tip in silicon that worked well is JVC Spiral Dot, it is very soft and contours easily to the ear canal. Sound also reduces some treble, making it less aggressive.

I loved N7, even though Cayin N7 is a warm sounding DAP with clear treble. It gave the soundstage even more room, and in a way kept the treble more clean than my ESS based devices.




Music

I will just talk about some of the music I like, the music I use here are some of my reference tracks and also just some I like. When I am listening to music and not evaluating, I prefer to listen to whole albums. When comparing the BC 2023 to other sets I have used the tracks listed here and more.



Infected Mushroom - Deeply Disturbed

One of my favorite tracks from Infected Mushroom, I always test it on every set of IEM. Found first about Infected Mushroom at my first full time work, the customer had to show off his $50000 stereo. I was sold and loved Infected Mushroom since.

Psy-trance with a touch of rock, it is a very long track with lots of progression and different parts.
The BC 2023 has a lovely sound here, the energetic nature of BC keeps it very entertaining. Lots of detail, in both the lowest parts and the rest. For some folks who are more treble sensitive this will perhaps be too much, I can handle more treble than many.
Both the electronic parts and the guitar are great.



Benjamin Wallfisch - Techno Syndrome 2021

Let's fight!
Grew up with Mortal Kombat on SNES, my friend had it in secret- All the boys gathered to play when no parents were there. But this is not about gaming, this track is a remake of the original..

My friend Kenneth from Singapore mentioned this one a while back, great electronica track. Very energetic and fast, with a more bright forward sound. Been using it to check for both fatigue and how it sounds.
The BC 2023 have great fast bass that goes very well here, but the amount of upper mids or treble do make it quite fatiguing. It is quite resolving and that makes it almost painful, the last part when the dubstep begins is full and impressive. It handles the speed excellent, not that weird since BC is very fast sounding.




Epsilon - Habalmas ft. Dycide

My famous bass rattle test, I often use it to check if a set can handle this. The low end is huge, try for yourself but do not cry if your set starts to rattle.

BC is very solidly built, the amount of pressure you get is immense. I do listen to this loud when testing, and it's fun to also see how much detail the other sounds have.

Bass is perfect, detail level is also quite good. Good spatial cues, and a sense of being drowned in sound all around.



Ahab - The Isle

Ahab is a German funeral doom metal band, an extreme sub genre of death metal. Doom funeral metal is a slow type of metal often very thick sounding, and it always sounds wrong on lean IEMs for me. This album is based upon the 1907 horror book The Boats of the ¨Glen Carrig¨ by William Hope Hodgson.

The soft start is magical, and if you don't know what type of album it is you would have been shocked later. The electric guitar is clear and magical and the bass is giving a great atmospheric vibe, his vocal drags you in with lyrics telling a story.

Rock or metal is superb on BC2023, the soft parts have such depth and finesse. While the more dramatic intense parts have all the grit and fullness it deserves. Growling is deep and nuanced, and clear so you can hear what he is saying. Some sets just drown the growling, not here.

The drums also are very real sounding with great impact, cymbals have nice crisp airiness. The electric guitar on the more mellow parts is dreamlike, with ethereal moments.




Eagles - hotel California (2013 Remaster)

This is already a very bright track, also a classic very many know. Perfect for checking soundstage and imaging cues, or just tonality since there is lots going on here.

The BC 2023 is too bright for this, so try a few times through then take a break.

Even if it's bright it has superb details going on, like how crisp and clear the whole picture is. Guitar is not dull and you can hear the steel strings resonating, drums have superb impact with also great cymbals tonality that just lack a little shimmer.

His voice is already lean here, so more forwardness would have helped. The BC is more neutral in the presentation of vocals, not too thick or thin.

Also the staging is rather deep with a great level of layering, very dynamic sounding and 3D.





Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North

Swallow the Sun usually makes melodic doom metal, disc 2 on this release is not really metal. It is focusing more on a relaxed listening with melodic acoustic music. This track has both instruments, male and female voice.

The BC 2023 makes the guitar and cymbal have a great crisp tonality, the drums have great impact. The bright nature does make the track slightly more energetic than my preference, at the same time it's so clear and nice sounding. She lacks some airyness when she sings, almost like the presence is lacking slightly.
The sound is almost a little metallic when both of them sing, something that happens for me if upper mids are boosted too much.

Overall I find the BC 2023 great here, I just wished for it to have a more organic sound.



Nao Yoshioka - Love is the Answer ( Tokyo Funk Sessions Ver.)

I love this version of Love is the Answer, the recording is superb. The players have made a masterpiece here, and Nao has a superb voice for this.

The BC2023 is a little too bright for my taste here, some of the instruments are a little piercing. I can be sensitive to brass when it's too forward, like it is here. Same for her voice, when she goes intense it shows that the presence region of the BC 2023 can be too forward.

The bass line can also be a little too much where it takes over some of the picture.



Sade - Smooth Operator

Sade with Smooth Operator is a classic, love the sound of her more mellow voice.
That drummin on the start is perfect for checking punch, the BC 2023 has a great sound to the drums with superb impact. The mellow tenor sax is also very very good, and the extra presence of BC 2023 helps it slightly. Also how the electric bass and guitar is great, with good detail and feel.

Her singing is great but lacks a little, could have had a more fullness as it's a little thin. Still how the track is done is on the darker side, and the brighter side of BC2023 breathes a little life to it.



millet - Tell Me

Quite a busy and complex track, millet can have a very tiresome voice. And it's clear immediately here for me that the upper mids have too much presence, she gets grainy and almost harsh.

There is never any problem that too much happens, as the rest of the sounds are good.
Just how her voice is done is not very pleasant, giving off a sort of gritty vibe. I tried some more bright Japanese female artists, and the same often happens where it's not very clean sounding. And this is at my threshold for fatigue.



Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker

Perfect for checking overall how full sounding and how forward the mids are. Leonard Cohen's husky voice has a lot of presence. The natural dark tone of his voice and the choir is represented, but has some gritty edge to it. But at the same time the BC 2023 gives him great authority and detail.

The staging has great layering, Leonard is a little away in front of you. While the choir is further spaced behind and to the side from him, and the last vocal is even further out and higher up.




Hanz Zimmer - Now We Are Free

Love this track, and I bet many others also do the same. Magical ending of the movie Gladiator, that can give me emotional feelings every time.

First I notice here is that Lisa Gerrard does not have the fullness I prefer, at the same time it has a good dynamic presence and not veiled at all. Her vocal is slightly pushed back with BC 2033, here it does help with changing to a more intense filter combo. Maybe this is also since I use the Serial or Aure when a playlist where this one is in.

There is a subtle drum in the back, more in the lowest range of bass. This is more forward than on my Penon Serial and similar to EST50. Show that BC2023 can dig quite deep.
The instruments are okay, nothing spectacular. Sounds very correct, just lacks a little detail and true to life timbre since it's a little metallic.

Soundstage is quite breathtaking and it all sounds very grand, with very good imaging capability.



Hans Zimmer - Mountains

Since I am already tested with one track from Zimmer, why not one more. Could have taken other tracks also from this soundtrack, lots of gems here.

The ticking clock at start accompanied by the instruments builds up more and more, and when it goes off it feels like I'm almost lifted from my chair. Such epic and grand it all is.

First off the dynamic range is huge, and never feels busy or congested when it takes off. The sound is overall very crisp and resolving, almost too intense on the last part. But this intense tonality also gives it a more sense of dramatic liveliness.
Epic performance and BC2023 does it very well.



Comparisons


Added a category for how fast they sound, the speed of BC 2023 is higher than fast BA sets. A very impressive thing.



Penon Serial

The Penon Serial is an IEM with 3 Dynamic Drivers, one for bass, mids and highs. The set is highly recommended by many people. Priced a little lower than BC 2023, a very musical IEM with great timbre. The Serial is warm with superb bass and mids, treble is clear but remains a little dark in comparison to the bass and mids.

Comfort is very good on Serial, but it has a spot on the shell that hurts after a while. So with the right tips, I might prefer the design of BC 2023 the most.

Bass is similar in loudness and rumble on both sets while the BC 2023 has some extra, the biggest difference here is how fast and visceral the BC 2023 is in comparison. Can be that the bass is louder on BC 2023 also, but since the upper mids is forward it balances it.
Both are superb for bass heads, I kinda see it as it depends on your mood which is best. Or maybe how BC nails speedy metal drums best and Serials low end wins on hip hop or reggae.

Mids are more thick on Serial, vocals are both thicker and more intimate sounding. For vocals I would choose the Serial every day, also retain more airyness on brighter females.
Instruments depend very much, slower music or orchestral pieces the Serial have the most pleasing and correct sound. Go to instruments like drums, the impact and more dry sound of BC 2023 gives it realism in a way. Same can be for electric guitar or many metal percussions, almost like it was made for metal instruments. With exception for some brass or wind instruments, they can get too much boost due to the upper mid energy.
Piano is also way better on the Serial, more natural and full timbre on the whole range from the lowest octave to the highest.

Treble is very similar in the forwardness, I pick up more detail on violins and percussions on the Serial. Some of the reason is due to the upper mids not being so aggressive, and also since the air is boosted more on the Serial. But even so the Serial sound darker than BC 2023, but I think this is more due to material and hoe the upper mids is done on BC.


Soundstage on the Serial has never been huge for me, maybe slightly over an average single DD IEM. But the serial is much more spherical than BC 2023, as the BC has a wider presentation. And on some recordings the BC 2023 can sound a little distant, then Serial sounds more correct. Imaging is very similar, maybe slightly better positioning on the Serial.

Overall resolution seems more nuanced and detailed on the BC2023, I pick up more micro detail. Just some instruments where the air region is used the Serial will show more sparkle.



AüR Audio Neon Pro

Not very fair since this is a 10 BA set costing around $700, it is my reference set and I love it for rock and metal. Neon Pro is one of the most resolving sets out there, energetic sound with superb imaging and soundstage. Using the Neon Pro with bass switch on as it makes them closer in the low end.

Comfort is a big step up for me with Neon Pro. I prefer this type of IEM design as it makes IEMs sit more comfortably and secure for me.

Bass is similar in amount on both, but in a way the BC is more visceral on some music with a sharper slam and even faster rebound. Maybe not weird as even if the NP can fool many to believe its DD, it's still BA bass while the BC 2023 has one of the best bass drivers I have tried.
Mid bass is forward on both, maybe more present in the BC 2023. BC has a more visceral bass compared to Neon Pro, but for some music the Neon Pro bass is more correct responding.

Mids are very different, both have forward mids. But how it sounds is the difference, Neon Pro is thick and easy on the ears. While BC 2023 is more crisp, it is more dry. At the same time the dry and metallic sound, makes metal strings and brass have superb bite on the BC 2023. But depending on recording or how you tolerate this it can be too much. More airiness and detail on females with Neon Pro, and NP can make male vocals more lush than the BC 2023.
The BC 2023 on female vocals is more sharp in the sound and can make the vocals appear more forward in a few songs.

Both have good treble detail, but as I mentioned the upper mids and low treble of the BC 2023 is too forward. The sibilance dip on the BC2023 is too big, and takes away some realism that Neon Pro has. There is also more air and sparkle going on with Neon Pro.

Soundstage is big on both, but I believe that BC 2023 is wider while both have the same forwardness. Layering is very similar, and for that matter very good.

Sade with Smooth Operator has more detail going on with Neon Pro, the resolution is on a higher level. Her voice has more feeling and nuance, like how when she goes high you hear more throbbing. Sax also has that extra realistic sound that I lack on BC 2023.

Habalmas my bass check track, has less bass on Neon Pro than the BC. But even if it is BA bass, the immense pressure is also here but maybe just a little less. The rest of the sound cues are more present and clear on Neon Pro, and you can hear the more metallic aspect of the BC 2023. But I would still choose the BC 2023 for every type of electronica if the treble is not too spicy.

The Isle is such a magical experience on Neon Pro, I immediately understood why I call Neon Pro the master of metal and rock. Neon Pro is also an energetic set, but the timbre is more rounded and never hard or metallic like on the BC 2023. The sound is more pleasing and natural sounding, be it drums, guitars or the growling. But wow the BC 2023 is also good, but in a way where it wants to destroy you with intense sound.

Hotel California has overall higher resolution on Neon Pro, be it instruments, vocals or just how the spatial cues are separated. The sound is more musical and not painful with Neon Pro.

Deeply Disturbed is great on both, both have superb tonality for it. BC 2023 is more metallic bright, while the Neon Pro is more warm. If we talk about detail it goes to Neon Pro, but not that weird since it's one of the kings for detail under $1000. But on this one I like both, and the DD of BC makes me love the BC 2023. It also plays so well with guitars that use metal strings, like made for it.



Conclussion

I started my journey with IMR on the rough side, luck and patience made it worth it. The BC 2023 truly lives up to its name, bringing the best bass Bob can make with great tonality elsewhere also. The bass can both slam and rumble with authority, while also giving you a clear and energetic sound in the mids and highs. And the soundstage width and depth is remarkable.

Not the IEM to use for every type of music out there, and clearly not when tired. The sound is both addicting and brutal, use this for a week and most of your other sets will sound dull after.

Even if the name says bass cannon this is the full deal, the mids are on a high level with maybe a little too much upper energy for some. Treble is also very good, with lots of detail and never boring. But the star of the show is the bass for me, such immense slam and speed. Every drum hit sounds so real and impactful, it reminds me of live concerts. And this is where it excels the most, both studio and live rock and metal recording is so extremely satisfying.

So in the end I love the BC 2023, and it will stay in my collection for use with rock, metal and electronica. It is where I find this type of energetic sound to be best, and with that I'm ending this listening to some good old Metallica.

Ranking System

1 Very bad or unlistanable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

Price can push something up or down half grade.

And by that for the right music and mood this is a solid 5/5 for me, but on some music more 3.5/5. In the end I belive it deserve a solid 4.5, but remember music type is a thing here.

Hisenior Mega5EST 7th Anniversary Edition

Disclaimer

The Mega5EST is my fourth IEM from Hisenior, I did buy it with a review discount. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for a good time. These are my thoughts at this moment, and as time moves I might change my opinion.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you.
While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

My rating system highly values what is musical, so my rating will always be a subjective opinion.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman.
I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite Open and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current favorites in IEMs are AüR Audio Ascension and 634ears Miroak-II. The AüR Audio Ascension is a tribrid with 1DD 5BA and 2EST, that is tuned to be warm and natural. Miroak-II is my favorite single DD, it has a warm and bassy sound that is also very natural sounding. Both of the models belong to a similar category of sound, and align with my taste for warm sound that is more organic.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have a few DAPs and dongles to change up the sound, my favorite being HIBY R8 II.
I have a good range of cables from Clan Audio, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS, DUNU, Effect Audio and Gladiator Cables.



Who is Hisenior

https://www.hisenior-iem.com/

I heard about Hisenior for the first time last year, and heard praise about their Mega5P hybrid IEM. Found it to be excellent for the money when I had it on loan from a friend, it had a natural and good tonality. Great built and felt better than what they asked for, the market has changed and more and more hybrids have entered. Also from Hisenior themselves, the Okavango their newest hybrid was a more lush and fun IEM and the new T4 is the best budget BA set on the market.

Hisenior as I understand has been making IEMs for a good time, but aimed for the professional market. This is also why they offer IEMs in the CIEM versions, the new models have options for both CIEM and universal design.

About Us page:

We are Hisenior Audio, the designer, manufacture of professional in-ear monitors for musicians, studio engineers and audiophiles.

EVERY MUSIC DREAM IS WORTHY OF RESPECT

No Matter You Play Bass,Drum,Keys,Guitar or Sing the Songs, No Matter Where Your Musics Happen(at Home, In Street or On Stage), We Believe Every of Your Music Dream is Worthy of Respect and Protection, No Matter How Small It is. Join Us and Together for more......

www.facebook.com/HiseniorAudio)
www.instagram.com/hisenior/)
https://twitter.com/febosIEM)



So what is the Mega5EST 7th Anniversary Edition

Mega5EST is the Hisenior flagship IEM, a tribrid with 1DD+2BA+2EST. This model is the Anniversary edition in a blue and grey design, the model has been redone compared to the original release that came out some years ago. Throughout the review I might refer to it as M5E.

What's New: (New Smaller shell/New Sound Nozzle/ New Inner Drivers-configuration/New Air Vent/ New Tuning Sound (Harman IEM target curve + Hisenior Exclusive Smooth Coherence from bass-treble))

It has 1 Dynamic Driver in Bio Cellulose that is 10mm large for its low end, this is a custom made driver for HiSenior. The BA drivers are for mids and high frequencies, both are from Sonion and high quality. The last two drivers are also Sonion but EST drivers, mostly for the ultra high frequencies.



https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/mega5est-hybrid-iem

Measurement from Jaytiss:





The Ergonomics of the Mega5EST is really good with a CIEM like mold with contoured wing, the nozzle also has some angle and good length to make it secure fitting. The socket for the 2pin is the flat style, and feels like good quality with good grip on the pins.
They have plenty of venting and dont feel closed in at all, maybe due to the large metal vent hole.



Accessories are plenty when we look at the tips, should be something for everyone to find something that seals good. Stock cable is also really good and I personally love the design of SPC cables like this, it's delivered in 4.4mm. You get their standard hard case, while rather large it's excellent for storing the IEMs safe.



Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

The sound of the Mega5EST is very natural sounding, with a neutral tonality with some low end warmth. They call this Harman IEM target paired with their own smooth coherent tuning, I like this much more than Harman tuned IEMs.

Going to use the ranges here in review:




Details and soundstage

The Mega5EST has a good amount of detail, but sits lower in detail level than some of the best models around this price range. But overall it's better than most hybrids and tribrids at the price, I find it gives a good balance of resolving capability that harmonizes with the natural tuning.

Soundstage is spherical for me with good width and height, but maybe not as much forward projection. More spacious than models like their T4, Okavango and Mega5P, so you get some extra finesse over Hisenior cheaper models. Same with imaging cues being a step up in pinpoint accuracy, with more realistic stage.

Bass

This is interesting, I didn't expect too much beforehand about the bass. The Mega5P was never my thing, then Okavango was much better on this aspect, and delivered a textured and fun low range.
As M5E was supposed to be more reference sounding I expected the bass to be neutral and less bombastic, took me by surprise.

The bass here reminds me of another IEM I loved for the bass, the Aurora from AüR. Meaning the bass has excellent elastic texture that can both slam and rumble with authority, but here is more present in the mix over Aurora with a small amount more mid bass.

Bass is very natural to me, in my book this is what a natural amount of bass is. Some sets with a leaner amount sound totally wrong when listening to recordings of cello or drums etc.
This is not a basshead set, but still has a good amount of warmth to make music real and lively as it should be.

Bass is not too fast or slow, and excels at textured notes that also can slam well. You will not get a bombastic bass that some people love for hip hop and metal music, but this is again better on stuff like electronic or acoustic music like jazz or classical.

Mids

Midrange is a good one, it's smooth and natural. With clear tonality that's not uneven or veiled at any part, just very natural. This also means it will probably not offend any who are sensitive to midrange, but on the flip side people who love extra forward mids will lack something.

The upper mids also are on the safe side, not shouty or bright at all. Lately I have enjoyed this type of tuning much more, often when changing from more forward pina gain sets it can sound less detailed. But I dont think this is true as it's an illusion, as the upper mids are detailed just not as in your face.

Guitars have good technicalities but lack some bite if used to more energetic sets, so perhaps better for Spanish guitar than metal riffs.

Listening to piano recordings the mids sound so even and natural, just a very correct amount of warmth to give the lowest octaves fullness. While the upper range can both be delicate and sparkly, just an excellent timbre for piano.

I find the Mega5EST to be equally good on female or male vocals, or bright and darker vocals. If I would pick one perhaps the brighter females are the best, as it's clean without being sharp or sibilant. Instruments like brass or cymbals also have a clean sound without being fatigued or harsh, but still have some bite to them not being dampened too much.

Treble

The treble is well extended and clear, not shouty or tiresome at all. I would say the amount of upper treble and air is very natural, so to my preference as I don't like too much upper treble.
Some might want more air, especially if they have less upper treble hearing or just prefer it exaggerated.

Music has plenty of overtones and airyness, cymbals sound crisp and not dull. Instruments like piccolo flute sound airy and nice, same for violin overtones sounding airy with great realism.



Synergies

A small part about what gear I have been enjoying the most with the Mega5EST, starting with cable. The stock White Whale cable is excellent, and I found no need to change it out.
I tried my Effect Audio Cadmus 8w, and the change is so small that I doubt it's anything different.
I liked it with all my sources and amps, the neutral sound carries the sound of what it's plugged into. It is also fairly power hungry, but even a cheap dongle sounds good. But feed it with good sounding gear and it will scale and show the quality of the source.

But I do think it sounds more lively and resolving paired with my desktop gear or my HIBY R8 II.

Tips have been the Divinus Velvet, excellent comfort and it is full sounding.




Music

I will just talk about some of the music I like, the music I use here are some of my reference tracks and also just some music I like in general. When I am listening to music and not evaluating, I prefer to listen to whole albums. When comparing Mega5EST to other sets I have used the tracks listed here and more. I use Tidal or my own files for listening, but will provide links for either the Bandcamp or YT version.

Also sharing a review Tidal list that I have started to make, it will evolve over time and is still in the early stage.

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/ad7bbfa3-2067-4235-b2ed-f5a3fb53ff28



Jóhann Jóhannsson : Flight from the City

Ambient Contemporary Classical music, one of my favorites in the genre. It's a simple but nuanced track and album, if you like this one track I advise you to check the rest out. The natural playback of Mega5EST excels at this stuff, how it portrays both the strings and piano sound real and full. Gave me goose bumps hearing though the album on Mega5EST, helps also how the soundstage sounds so black and immersive.



Blackfield - Once (Remastered)

Blackfield got back into my listening recently due to another reviewer who shared it with me. Nice to hear them again after what I think is 10 years or more. The remaster of the Blackfield II album is great, highly dynamic and resolving. The track opens up with a clear drum part and the vocals and guitars is excellent, perfect track for testing timbre in general. If I have one nit pick on Mega5EST it is the amount of bass, personally I prefer even more mid bass for prog rock to make it sound thicker.



Shpongle - Shpongle Falls

Big fan of Shpongle, their music has defined much of the psy chill genre that is today. The album here is one my favorites from them, the chill ambient side with some psychedelic elements.
First of the Mega5EST dig super low into the sub bass, it produces the kick in a satisfying way where it's present without taking over the sound. The sound cues are 3D and spacious, and you get that trip in your head that Psy genres often do. Just the right amount of detail and clean sound to keep it musical but still resolving.



YAOSOBI - 夜に駆ける

I dont often listen to J-Pop as I often find it too busy or bright, and if I do it would be on sets that are not overly bright that also can handle busy transitions.
夜に駆ける is J-pop track that is clear and busy, Mega5EST has a very good sound for this that keeps the female vocal super clear without being fatigued or too sharp. My new J-pop set if I ever move more into this genre.



Smilla - Coronation

Minimal Techno from Germany, not the most technical track. But provides a full and deep thumping bass rhythm, sort of bass style that sounds bad on ultra fast sets like planars or BA.
Mega5EST manages excellent and it's very fun, I think the amount of bass is adequate for this bass heavy track. The electronica elements in the upper range is also controlled nicely without being piercing like it does on OH700VB.



Bat For Lashes - Feel For You

Natasha’s fifth studio album, Lost Girls album is more or less a love letter to 80s movies and synth pop from the time. My favorite has been the track Feel For You, which reminds me a lot of the 80s and spark joy. The rhythmic drumming and simple line Feel For You is one the simple side, but also is a good one to just see how I like a set if it's engaging and full.



Gojira - Drum Solo

Big fan of Gojira and have used them plenty of times in reviews, French heavy metal band. The track here is what the title says, a drum solo by Mario François Duplantier. Sounds so real and fun on Mega5EST, maybe I could have liked a small amount more mid bass. But no, this sounds very realistic and fun, and also shows how important a textured and elastic DD can be for drums. Cymbals have a good bite without being piercing, just a good and natural presentation.



Caroline Polachek - Fly To You (fear. Grimes and Dido)

Caroline has blown up lately in popularity, deserving of her unique modern pop music. Never knew I needed this collaboration she had with Grimes and Dido, 3 unique vocals together. Grimes sounds airy and shimmery, while Dido has her full voice I remember from her popular days. And lets not forget Caroline's special and unique voice, all of them make it sound very special. Love how expressive and natural Mega5EST has here, just the correct amount of clarity and warmth to make it euphonic.



Comparisons

When evaluating I use impressions over a longer time period with some fresh comparisons also, it takes a long time and is not done in one sitting. The most critical comparison is done on my desktop setup that is highly resolving, with volume matching through a microphone to take away loudness variance.

The spider chart is slightly exaggerated on some points to show differences, it's also a subjective chart about my preference. Musical/Soul is what matters the most, and is down to what I feel when I listen to the IEM.





Hisenior Okavango

Okavango is hybrid IEM with 7 drivers total that is tuned in their new WILD-NATURE series, named after the world's largest inland Desert Delta. It has 1 DD and 6 BA with tuning switches to change up the sound, I have used it in the 00 config that has the most neutral tonality. It's still tuned to have a good amount of mid bass for a thicker and more lively sound, also why it's in the Wild Nature series to be a more fun tuning than the other models they have.
Soundstage is smaller and less expansive on the Okavango, it's a good difference here. For the cost I think Okavango was great, especially compared to other IEMs at the price. But Mega5EST clearly has something extra making it sound more open and large.

Bass is more textured and deeper on Mega5EST, the Okavango can sound a little hollow and less defined after having heard Mega5EST. Especially the deepest sub bass rumbles with fuller note weight, mid bass is the other way around where the Okavango has more punch to it. But even so the mid bass of Mega5EST is more elastic and textured , they use similar material being Bio Cellulose but have different size and probably also different magnets.

Midrange of Okavango is more on the husky side over Mega5EST, as in more warmth and forward in the low mids. Quality is a step under the Mega5EST and I think this is a mix of the tuning and drivers used. Upper mids have some grain on Okavango that is buttery smooth and clean on Mega5EST.

Highs of Mega5EST is a good step above Okavango, Okavango without the treble switch engaged has less bite and air. Engaging the treble switch makes Okavango have more treble that is overly sharp and piercing, where it sounds uneven and not natural.



AüR Audio Aurora

This is a hybrid IEM from AüR, it has 2DDs and 6BAs. It is tuned to be neutral with a sub bass boost, also with a relaxing top end. Priced around the same, but will lack the EST drivers.
The Mega5EST has way better presentation of the packaging and unboxing, with also better accessories. Comfort is great with both sets, maybe a small win to Aurora as it has slightly better design on the shell.

Soundstage is more spacious on the Mega5EST and positioned more in front, but Aurora has a slightly better 3D effect around you where it goes more to the sides of your head. Looking at the resolution they are good but not extraordinary, maybe a small win to the Mega5EST as it has more clarity. I would call the Aurora warm neutral with darker treble, the Mega5EST is more of a warm neutral.

The Aurora has a slightly tighter bass, but maybe a little reserved at times. Mega5EST has a more spacious bass presentation, slightly more impactful slam that also comes forth more easily. But still within a natural amount similar to Aurora, the difference in texture is hard to explain as both are very textured on stuff like string instruments. But still sound different, think it comes down to the smaller drivers on Aurora might be slightly faster to decay.

Lower Midrange is a small amount more forward on both instruments and vocals with Aurora. There is a difference in cleanliness of the midrange, the Aurora can seem more textured in the mids and slower. So when comparing the two it can sound quite different, technically I think the Mega5EST sound more correct. But it doesn't mean it's more resolving in the mids, just different.
Upper midrange is well controlled on both without being too forward, but also not recessed where we lose presence. Here you get some extra clarity on Mega5EST due to the cleaner sound.

Both have pleasing treble, but it's higher clarity and more extension with Mega5EST. Also the EST drivers makes it sound more ethereal and pleasing.



Oriveti OH700VB

This is Oriveti flagship hybrid IEM, the OH700VB has 1 Dynamic Driver for bass and 6 Balanced Armatures. The price is slightly higher than the Mega5EST at $700. The quality of the IEMs is good, but looking at build quality the Mega5EST both feel and look more premium built. Both brands deliver an excellent amount of accessories, both have a decent cable already in the box.

Soundstage and resolution are very close to each other, it's different in how they do things but both remain good in the price segment. OH700VB has a wider presentation, while Mega5EST is more forward projecting. Resolution is very close to each other, might be a small step above on Mega5EST. Both are what I call neutral with bass boost, while OH700VB has a slight tilt toward V shaped tonality.

Bass texture of both sets are very similar, but they sound fairly different due to how they are tuned. Would perhaps say OH700VB is looser and appears more easy, the M5E more controlled and dense. The OH700VB has more of a separated bass with a bass tuck, and the M5E more of a mixed glide and tuck. On a lot of music it's hard to pick the bass part from each other, this is since the amount of warmth is very similar and also the texture. A few tracks can show a small amount of more sub bass extension on OH700VB, while some other tracks sound more bassy on M5E as it has more mid bass ratio.

Mids of OH700VB are natural and a little uneven with some small amount of darkness, M5E is not dark but very similar overall. Just that they are tuned slightly differently where M5E is more coherent throughout.
Male vocals often sound fuller on M5E and brighter females can be more delicate, M5E handles sibilance smoother.
Both handle bright instruments like sax excellently without being shouty, a little darker on OH700VB.

The treble of the OH700VB has more extension and it is brighter than M5E, but it's not as refined and natural sounding. Almost have some raspy unevenness to the highs that come forth due the forward presence, this also makes OH700VB sound closer to a neutral/V shape than neutral. The OH700VB has some extra cymbal shimmer or air in general over the Mega5EST.



Summary

The Mega5EST is perhaps one of the best value IEMs for the one who wants a natural sounding tribrid.

In short the Hisenior Mega5EST is a very natural sounding IEM, that keeps itself from being either boring or fatiguing. More or less a jack of all trades, that does everything very correctly without being master of anything. Also means that it excels at most music you throw at it, perfect for putting your music library on random and enjoy.

It's clearly the best IEM I have used from Hisenior, and excels in coherency thanks to good drivers and tuning. Mega5EST has the right amount of warmth and brightness to make it musical and enjoyable for me.

Thanks again to Hisenior for the review discount, I look forward to more later this year.
It is too bad so few know about Mega5est, the model deserve more recognition. A tuning and quality that should be loved by many.

Hisenior T4 the smooth performer

Disclaimer

The T4 is my second IEM from Hisenior, I bought it with my own money with a review discount. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts, after having used T4 for some weeks.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current favorites in IEMs are AüR Audio Neon Pro, Sound Rhyme DTE900 and 634ears Miroak-II. The NEON Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me on the brighter side. DTE900 is a tribrid with 1+4+4 config, tuned W shape being energetic and lush. Miroak-II is my faovorite single DD, it has a warm and bassy sound that is also very natural sounding.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
Portable gear used during the review is HIBY R6 Pro 2, Penon Tail, FIIO BTR7.
I have a good range of cables from Clan Audio, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS, DUNU, Effect Audio and Gladiator Cables.





Who is Hisenior

https://www.hisenior-iem.com/

I heard about Hisenior for the first time last year, and heard praise about their Mega5P hybrid IEM. Found it to be excellent for the money when I had it on loan from a friend, had a natural and good tonality. Great built and felt better than what they asked for, the market has changed and more and more hybrids have entered.
So it's good to see that the new Okavango is priced nicely according to specs also, even if the market is flooded with hybrids now.

Hisenior as I understand has been making IEMs for a good time, but aimed for the professional market. This is also why they offer IEMs in the CIEM versions, the new models have options for both CIEM and universal design.



So what is the T4

The T4 is a BA IEM with 4 balanced armatures and 3 crossovers, priced at 199 usd. It can also be purchased with a custom designed shell and faceplate for 249 usd, and if you want a CIEM shell it is 299 usd.

The T4 is part of their T series, this as I understand is marketed for both audiophiles and artists.

Resin shell that is made with nice curves similar to CIEM models, nozzle is in the metal style seen on many IEMs lately. Combination makes it close to perfect in comfort, it also has a vent helping with pressure. There are also tuning switches with one affecting the bass amount while the other is for treble extension.

You get some nice accessories, also their hard case for storage. Plenty of tips to get you going, and the modular cable is excellent with only one downside being that the modular part is not the most secure.

https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/t4universal




Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

Main comparison is with both switches up so called Soundstage+, I also find the other positions okay. But for me personally the added bass and treble extension is perfect in Soundstage+.

The T4 sound is very much like the measurements show, a warm and forgiving sound.

The low end has this thick and warm bass tonality, it goes into the mids making both instruments and vocals thicken. The pinna gain raises slowly and is not elevated much, but it's also not veiled making it lack presence. The high range is well extended and airy without being sharp or sibilant, it's much more airy than what I expected for a 200 usd BA IEM.

Going to use the ranges here in review:




Taken from ToneDeafMonk



Details and soundstage

The T4 is not the most resolving set, but due to the nature of BA already being quite resolving the T4 is above most dynamic driver IEMs in this aspect. It lack a little in low range, but this is often true on most BA sets.

Soundstage is average, I don't particularly find it large or closed in. More or less just follow the music and how it's portrayed. Imaging capability is pretty good, very nice 3D stage only lacking some depth nuances forward.

Bass

The T4 has BA bass, but I find it surprisingly good at this price point. I rate it as good in the low end as Supernova and SA6, maybe they have a small amount more detail in the bass. But it's really close, and I actually find the T4 has a more convincing bass slam than them.

There is more focus on the mid bass than sub bass, it doesn't mean that it lacks sub bass rumble. But the sub bass is not as prominent as the mid bass thickness.

Mids

The mids on T4 is just liquid gold, I truly love having smooth and warm vocals on T4. Females are better than males, but I very often find this true on most BA sets. Male are also nice, but I often favor the DD dynamics on them.
Females have more forward sound to them in thickness, so if you are one who needs super clean and thin females this is not for you. I most often like it more forward, so here T4 is excellent.

Instruments with strings also sound warm and full, drums have a nice kick to them. Cymbals have a good bite without any glare, same for brass instruments.

I just had the Supernova on loan and it had problems with sibilance on many female voices, especially in asian music. And I would pick T4 every day over it for female vocals.

Treble

The resolving and smooth sound of the upper range is perfect, keeping it more musical and pleasing. Also have a fair amount of air that doesn't feel forced and fake, just good natural air.
The T4 has an amount of lower treble where music has lots of presence and detail without being sibilant, but it also doesn't mask sibilant music.



Synergies

A small part about what gear I have been enjoying the most with the Okavango.

Most of my listening has been done with HIBY R6 Pro 2 and Topping E70/A90 Discrete, my favorite pairing being R6P2.

Tips has been a mixed thing, I found all my usual tips to work well. Favorite is perhaps the Tangzu Sancai, as they are so comfortable and sound full.

Cables I am very neutral on in beliefs, I have tried both expensive cables from Effect Audio and cheap brands from China. I don't really find it to improve or change with cables, so my pairing has mostly been with the stock cable that is excellent.




Music

I will just talk about some of the music I like, the music I use here are some of my reference tracks and also just some I like. When I am listening to music and not evaluating, I prefer to listen to whole albums. When comparing T4 to other sets I have used the tracks listed here and more.

This time I will have more vocal centric albums than usual as its something T4 excel at.



Eivør - Slør

Eivør is a Faroese singer-songwriter and actress, who got her on my radar since a friend from Island listened to her. This particular song also has an English version, but the original captures more emotion and nuances. Even If I don't understand much of the language.

About the dark time of the year on Faroe Islands. For people who live up in the north we are used to cold and long winters where almost no sun comes up, Eivør loves the dark and airy feeling of this time. Slør literally means ¨veil¨ as in the dark veiled land.

Amount of emotion and nuances in her voice can be enjoyed to its fullest on T4 as it captures it so perfectly, the focus on her vocals with T4 is perfect. The added instruments just add to the magical atmosphere. Its not that the T4 does something super special, but it also does nothing wrong here. Perhaps the soundstage is very deep here, and the T4 can not show it as its more on the small side.



Agnes Obel - The Curse

The Danish singer Agnes Obel is also a great part of my review process since has a beautiful voice. She also often uses both real instruments and electronic elements mixing it all together to atmospheric and emotional music.

The Curse have both string instruments like cello and piano, and of course also her voice.
The warm and dark feeling is very perfect on T4, the T4 makes both her and the cello parts come alive. Both in her voice and the string parts there is lots of detail, even so I do sometimes lack a little dynamic element. While doing this review I have listened to this alot on dynamic drivers through earbuds and headphones, and BA can not touch the realism of a DD.

But I'm way too harsh here, as T4 really does nothing wrong. And my critic can be more since im biased towards dynamic drivers.



Billie Elish - No Time To Die


The theme song for the James Bond movie No Time To Die.
Billie Eilish is the vocalist, the Orchestral part is done by Hans Zimmer Orchestra and produced by Finneas O'Connell and Stephen Lipson. It has a high production quality and is more than good enough to evaluate vocals and dynamics.

Billie Eilish was only 17 years old here and the youngest ever in a James Bond theme song, she was praised by Hans for having an intimate and emotional voice.
The track starts slow with just a subtle piano and gets even more slow when Billie enters, she sings carefully with lots of emotion. And crescendos up more and more over the course of the track, also why I say it has great dynamic range here.

The T4 has a very natural sound to the piano, and it has a mid forward sound that let the Piano be clear and nuanced. And this obviously also goes for the vocal part, T4 shows every throb and change in her voice. There is good breathiness in her voice that is not dampened by too much presence reduction in the upper mids.

The part where it is intense has much more instruments playing, and it doesn't sound congested or anything. Just an open and airy sound, while she is very centered in the image the rest has a very good depth into the stage. Under the climax of the track, Billie can be slightly sibilant on some IEMs while T4 rides just on the edge.





Fink - Trouble’s What You’re In - Live from Union Chapel, London

Incredibly nice live recording, Fink has an amazing voice. The simple but nuanced track has very few instruments, but the harmony of it all is very special and full sounding. I used this track and album on my recent review for a dynamic driver IEM the EA1000, and is suiting here also due teh comparison.

The T4 has great texture and body to his voice, and also very resolving showing his vibrato or breathyness. Drumming and guitar together with his voice has a sort of euphonic warm presentation, very addictive. This is also very matching with how the T4 is in its tonality, drums lack a little kick to them.



Korn - Falling Away from Me

Been years since I listened to Korn, I loved it in my teens. What I have found is that the style they have is quite aggressive and also often sound bad on high resolving audio gear, especially if on the bright tonality side. Korn is Nu Metal, their songs often inspired by bullying and other tough stuff.

Falling away has a nice thick bass kick at the start, and to my surprise the T4 sounds very satisfying and full on it. And when the rest starts it gets quite hectic, but T4 remains more or less fatigue free. This also goes for the rest of the parts being more intense through the song.

Jonathan’s voice has just the right amount of forwardness suiting the music, sets with less mids sound thin to me. The T4 upper mids are smooth and forgiving, this helps the track not get fatigued. But it's also not too safe sounding where it sounds lackluster and lacks energy. The mids do make the sound be more full and thick, so if you are one who needs super clean and clear sound T4 is not that.



Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder, Kamasi Washington - From My heart and My Soul

Terrace Martin has some great releases within the jazz or jazz hop genre, this is no exception and is a superb album and track. He has a nice voice and has an old school vibe, like a 90s hip hop sound blended with jazz. The track is very bass heavy with a thicker mid presentation.

This track does deserve a dynamic driver for its bass, there is something about the decay that sounds slightly off on BA sets. That includes T4 and also more high end models like Neon Pro and Supernova. It's not to say it sounds bad, as the thump does sound good and some would maybe not notice if they are not used to the album or track with other sets.

The drum kit and synth all have good resolving capability with the T4, it has a slightly smoother sound to it. Overall very pleasing, and this part of T4 being smooth and warm in the mids suit the track very well. The vocals are also pretty good and satisfying, and even if its BA I like the amount of lushness T4 provides.



The Comet is Coming - Birth of Creation

Nu jazz from London, a group consisting of King Shabaka on sax, Danalogue on keyboard and Betamax on drums. This album is special and has been in my listening rotation since it came out, the track Birth of Creation is one of the best tracks on the album.

Sax is played with finesse and has a mellow and dark sound, almost like a voice singing. The drums gave a nice mix of sparkling cymbals, hits and nice kicks. While the keyboard makes this more of a mix between electronica and jazz, it's a cool track with a story being told.

Here I don't mind at all having just an all BA, this is actually a track where the more even tonality the better. So all BA or just single DD wins my heart every time.

The sax is very nuanced and detailed, and the smoother part of T4 helps making it more pleasing overall. While it might lack some bite if you want a more forward brass sound, the bass played is excellent and is both detailed and fun. Overall I find the T4 to replay the track very good, as its just in the middle where it smooth some of the more intense jazz elements while keeping detailed enough where it's not veiled.



Ahab - The Isle

Ahab is a German funeral doom metal band, an extreme sub genre of death metal. Doom funeral metal is a slow type of metal often very thick sounding, and it always sounds wrong on lean IEMs for me. This album is based upon the 1907 horror book The Boats of the ¨Glen Carrig¨ by William Hope Hodgson.

The soft start is magical, and if you don't know what type of album it is you would have been shocked later. The electric guitar is clear and magical and the bass is giving a great atmospheric vibe, his vocal drags you in with lyrics telling a story.
The T4's more warm tonality is well suited to music like this, giving great body to drums and guitars. And as BA it is both detailed and forward without any fatiguing tendency on any part.
Both the signing at start is detailed and full, and the growling later is very detailed and clean. So it's easier to hear what he sings through the growling.



Merkaba - Perception 2022 Remaster

I am a big fan of electronic music, and having a good body giving soul to the rhythm is important for me. There is not much to analyze in this track except how the resolution is, and how much I like it all.

The T4 delivers a warm and thick full bodied sound, and as for how good BA bass can be it's up there close with other regarded sets like SA6 and Supernova. I have no problem recommending T4 for electronica, and often the BA can suit more fast paced electronica. Not that this song is slow, and even here it's very pleasing. But there is one caveat and that is sub bass, there is much more mid bass focus than sub. Not that it lacks sub bass, but it's more neutral while mid bass is more forward.



Gidge - Quasar

I am a lover of ambient electronica that is more on the musical side, this track is exactly that. Outside of having been taken by the vocal capability of the T4 I have also been addicted to ambient music on T4.

I always prefer dynamic drivers for electronica, but for some reason this album and also the track suit T4 perfectly. The forward mid bass and also lush warm mids make it such enjoyable and full sounding.



Comparisons

I had no other BA sets within this price range, so instead I decided to use the recent release from Simgot EA1000 Fermat priced around the same and is highly praised. And also my reference IEM that shows have good all BA can be, the AüR Audio Neon Pro.



Simgot EA1000 Fermat

The EA1000 is the newest IEM from Simgot, it has 1 Dynamic Driver and 1 Passive radiator. It sits at the same price point as the T4 and also provides similar tuning on measurement, even if they sound quite different in real life.

EA1000 being more aggressive in its presence with super clear sound, and T4 appear warmer and more soothing.
The EA1000 has more aggressive upper mids, it also is more resolving than T4. This also has its downside as EA1000 can be tiresome on some music, example being the track Slør being tiresome on EA1000 and soothing on T4. Soundstage is also slightly larger on EA1000, but the difference is not that far off from each other.

The EA1000 has a metal build instead of resin like T4, EA1000 also uses a more universal type of shell that doesn't sit as ergonomic.
If we look at comfort the T4 is much better than EA1000, the nozzle is short and the body of the shell is rather awkward to use. This might be since I have a larger ear, and people with smaller ears or less deep ear canal where the tip sits. Stock cable is better from Hisenior as its more malleable to your ear, while the most pretty is from Simgot. Tips and accessories are great on both sets.

The low end on EA1000 is superb with great texture and resolution, one of the better DD presentations of bass. It only lacks some in its mid bass amount and slam, but this is also down to preference. Both are equally fast sounding, but the EA1000 is more convincing on natural decay. It also shows slightly more sub bass than T4, the amount of mid bass and slam is more on T4.
Male vocals are lusher and more emotional on T4, on EA1000 they are slightly colder and neutral. Female vocals are also similar, you trade more airy and clear vocals on EA1000 with the lush and smooth vocals on T4. But if we listen to details on vocals and instruments more is visible in the audio picture on EA1000. The upper mids on EA1000 are more forward and can appear tiresome or even metallic on certain music, this is much smoother and better on T4. But this is also down to preference.

The high range is great on both sets, small victory to T4 being more airy. But the biggest treble difference is that the T4 has a more soothing treble sound, and EA1000 can be too bright and it all comes down to its more resolving driver.



AüR Audio Neon Pro

The AüR Audio Neon Pro is a more high end IEM priced around 700 usd, it has 10BA per side of high quality. It's also my reference set for how good BA can be, my favorite set for metal music.

Both have similar build quality in the resin, and form factor also being very similar. Neon Pro does have a larger shell and fit even more like a CIEM, also due to the nozzle being angled and perfect for me. But then it's the ear pressure, I have no problems on the Neon Pro. I know that many others have had problems since NP does not have any venting, the T4 on the other hand have vented holes to remove pressure.
The Neon Pro has U-tonality, meaning that bass and treble being forward while mid range being more neutral. The Neon Pro is also a set that is highly resolving with forward upper mids, but even so remains not sharp or sibilant.

The T4 is the warmest sounding of the two, with more bass and mid focus. Neon Pro has more of a balanced reference sound. Using Neon Pro with switch OFF/DOWN and T4 with both switches ON/UP, in this position they are more similar in bass amount and upper treble.

Starting with the low end, this is a clear win to Neon Pro. It has better sub bass texture and extension, when music asks for sub bass rumble it delivers conveniently even if its BA. Mid bass slam is good on both sets, but Neon Pro slam harder. And if its string instruments playing the bass you hear some more nuances in everything, is it day and night? No. But it's still a different playing field, but this is also to be expected. For me the IEMs using 4 Sonion BAs does something extra that the other sets using only 2 lack, this also goes for other sets from Dunu, Symphonium and more.

Midrange is good on both sets and here there is less difference in quality, Neon pro still has more resolution but the difference is less. Biggest difference here is on tonality, T4 has thicker and also smoother midrange. Neon Pro is more clear, and also more reference sounding.
Male vocal is very similar on both sets, its females and instruments you hear more change on.
So on most brighter instruments you hear clearer and more resolving sound, same for females being extra airy with more clarity. Even so I might prefer the smooth and thicker way of T4 more.

Both have high quality midrange, Neon Pro just have a small edge on the resolving part due to both the tuning and the drivers used. Some of this due to the early pina gain raise on Neon Pro that is also fairly elevated, T4 is the direct opposite raising slower and being less elevated.

The highs are also well extended on both sets, slightly more energy on Neon Pro. So if you're sensitive to treble, the T4 might be better for you. But the quality is almost as good on both sets, I find that NP has a slight edge here also. But this says something about the T4 being able to give NP competition.

Soundstage is very large on Neon Pro with great depth and layering, whereas T4 sounds smaller in comparison.

I'm still impressed how well the T4 far against the Neon Pro with so much less drivers and cost, both are superb sets and complementary to each other.

The spider chart is slightly exaggerated on some points to show differences.





Conclusion

The Hisenior T4 delivered more than expected, it is one of my favorite BA sets. The timbre is excellent and makes music joyful.

Sometimes you get a new model and expectations are huge, then when trying them for the first time you feel let-down. This is exactly the opposite, I was not expecting to be this impressed by the modest 4BA of T4. I have heard all BA sets before with few drivers, but they have always had a higher price than this. Looking at both tuning and build quality this is a bargain in the IEM market.

You do not get a beast of IEM with thunderous bass and resolution showing every fault in every recording, what you get is pure musicality. The T4 delivers a smooth and warm experience, doesn't really matter genre it delivers enjoyment in whatever you play.
The forward midbass and lush mids are one of its strengths, making music full sounding. Pair this with the forgiving upper midrange and well extended treble, warm sound without having any veil. The formula is excellent and is why I love it so much. I am more than happy with my purchase, and I like it so much I might consider getting it in CIEM.

And a word about the rating of 4, as mentioned in the disclaimer means very good. If I look at how good I find this at its price value its a clear 5 star for me.

The Beautiful Kinera Verdandi

Disclaimer

The Kinera Verdandi was bought with a discount in return for a review, I am free to say whatever I want.

All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for a good time. These are my thoughts at this moment, and as time moves I might change my opinion.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you.
While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

My rating system highly values what is musical, so my rating will always be a subjective opinion.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids can be forward if not shouty. I can also handle forward treble if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are metal, electronica, jazz, indie rock/metal, r&b, and pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman.
I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite Open and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current favorites in IEMs are AüR Audio Ascension and Campfire Audio Bonneville.
The AüR Audio Ascension is a tribrid with 1DD 5BA and 2EST, that is tuned to be warm and natural. The Bonneville is hybrid with 1DD and 3BA, tuned to be a colorful and fun IEM with heavy note weight.
Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have a few DAPs and dongles to change up the sound, my favorite being HIBY R8 II.
I have a good range of cables from Clan Audio, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS, DUNU, Effect Audio and Gladiator Cables.



Who is Kinera

Copied from the About Us Page on:

The story began in 2011, YuTai Electronic Acoustics was officially established in Dongguan, China. A year ago, we developed the world’s first high resistance 5mm micro dynamic speaker for military hearing aids. In 2013, we began mass manufacturing balanced armature drivers and became an internationally and locally renowned supplier of drivers. In 2014 till 2015, Yutai Electronic Acoustics has developed a number of patents for various driver technologies such as bone conduction. In 2016 released the first hybrid driver IEM BD005 by the “ Kinera “ brand, which became the most competitive entry- level hybrid driver IEM after launch. In 2017, released the second hybrid driver IEM H3, which is based on the sound of the BD005 proofing further refined, with a more outstanding sound and sense of hearing. At the same time, BD005 was awarded the runner-up in the headphone market of the year by Japan’s leading headphone retailer E-earphone. In 2018, Kinera released a series of product with a symbolic meaning: SEED, IDUN and ODIN were born one after another, and at the end of the year, we launched the IDUN special limited edition 500 sets during the Christmas season, which were sold out within a month before they were launched. In 2019, Kinera released its latest single dynamic driver in-ear monitor, the Kinera Sif. Afterward, later the first EST IEM, the Kinera Nanna was released.

Over the past few years the main focus was on the overseas market, only in recent years we formally put resources in our domestic market including HK & China, YuTai has been focusing on developing Hybrid BA & Dynamic Earphones. Over the past few years released Odin, Idun, Seed, BD005, Idun Deluxe and single dynamic driver SIF. In 2018 our 4mm micro dynamic research success and planned to apply in the future on the brand’s earphone business, this year with more partners to launch a cooperation plan, is committed to bringing our customers cost-effective and diversified products.

We have a specialized R&D and design team, from new product development, material selection, parts production, the final product assembly, all are responsible for strict control, product quality is guaranteed to meet the requirements of direct OEM clients, and enjoy a good reputation in the industry. In the past few years, we have assisted our clients of different scales to successfully push out the earphones they requested and received market approvals.

Our company has the development ability of the core technology of dynamic drivers. Now we have achieved dynamic driver self-sufficient, and in the new dynamic driver structure, diaphragm design, new materials and customisation has the core competitive ability for the earphone sound quality escort.

https://www.kineraaudio.com/about-us



So what is the Verdandi

Kinera Imperial Verdandi is an Quadbrid IEM costing $1199, using 2 Knowles BA + 2 Sonion EST + 1 DD + 1 Bone Conduction Driver. The most interesting and special about the configuration is the inclusion of a bone conductor for the low frequencies. The name Verdandi comes from some old lore about the Norn Gods, this is the god of present and suits the more clear and present sound of the Verdandi.

The version I have here is the Cosmos editions and has elements of black and blue with gold parts, there is also a lot of detail goin with both the faceplate and the shell. Real piece of IEM art, perhaps the most beautiful one I have seen. The IEM itself is hand painted and all the Verdandi pairs should be slightly different due to this, unless my inside info is wrong here. There is also a light blue edition that is also beautiful and elegant.



The comfort is surprisingly good for such a large IEM, the nozzle has good length and is positioned excellently for me. Easy to get a deep and good seal, that is also needed for the bone conduction to work its best. I do have to use one size smaller tip than usual, this should be a consideration if you're already one who uses small tips as standard.



The packaging is premium and suits the price of Verdandi, the same can be said for the excellent amount of accessories. You get a high quality modular cable, many premium tips etc.









Specs:
Impedance: 14 ohm
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz-50kHz
Flash Acoustics Monocrystalline Copper + High Purity 4N Silver Cable
Plug with 3.5mm and 4.4mm
AZLA SednaEarfit Crystal Eartips
Final Type E Eartips
Kinera K-07 Balanced Eartips
Foam Eartips
Eartips
AZLA SednaEarfit Crystal Eartips
Final Type E Eartips
Kinera K-07 Balanced Eartips
Foam Eartips
Weight Of Earbuds

The weight of the earbud is only 7.0± g, comfortable for wearing for a long time.
Nozzle size

Nozzle size is 6.5mm, select different eartips to hear more possible sound.
Package Contents

One pair of Kinera Imperial Verdandi In-ear monitors.
One Flash Acoustics Monocrystalline Copper + High Purity 4N Silver Cable.
Plug with 3.5mm and 4.4mm.
Final Type E Eartips x 5 sets (SS/S/M/L/LL)
AZLA SednaEarfit Crystal Eartips x 3 sets (SS/MS/ML)
Kinera K-07 Balanced Eartips x 3 sets (S/M/L)
Foam Tips x 1 sets (L)
Storage Bag.
Cleaning Brush.
Dusting Cloth.
User Manual.





Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

The sound is very clear and energetic, with a W shaped sound signature.
Has some nice warmth paired with a lot of clarity in the midrange, and a gentle but nicely extended treble. Can sound more bright than warm due to the tonality, but in return being very transparent sounding.

Going to use the ranges here in review:




Details and soundstage

The Verdandi is quite technical and has a good amount of clarity, some of it due to tuning but also since the drivers seem to be good in themself also.
Soundstage is very dynamic and 3D, and has very good separation and imaging capability. While not being that large it's very spherical and surrounds you more in the sound, very captivating and fun. Live recordings sound spectacular and awesome due to this soundstage.

Bass

The bass of the Verdandi is fast and detailed, and has a tactile feel that is due to the bone conductor. It is a very fun and a good experience, it's also not overdone. Tasteful amount of boost to the bass from the BC, that more often appears when you play music loud or on bassy music.
The bass is quite fast and reaches low without any drop off, and even with its small 6mm driver can sound good while maybe not as visceral. Has also quite a good mid bass slam, but lacks a little body.
I do believe the bass would have felt more solid overall if a larger driver was used.

Mids

The low midrange is clear and nuanced without being thick or muddy, the upper midrange is much more forward and energetic. This means that most vocals are very clear and at times can be a little focused in on with a brighter presence. This also goes for instruments that are already more bright, they have plenty of energy with Verdandi. While I personally find it a little to lean in the low mids for some music like heavy metal or soul, but that is back to my preference for thicker low mids.

Treble

The treble is detailed and crisp, and also a little soft. Makes it a pleasant experience where it's not too bright or tiresome, might lack some energy for folks who are used to a brighter and elevated treble range. Cymbals as example have good amount of clarity and sound realistic, but this without being sharp and tiresome.

I find that it might lack a little air, and this is also maybe why some call the Verdandi relaxed sounding.



Synergies

A small part about what gear I have been enjoying the most with the Verdandi, starting with cables. The stock cable is good to get you going, and sounds decent. Some said to me it's bright, and it might be true to a small degree.
I have paired it with a Clan Audio Graphene SPC cable, as it's a more warm and not as bright cable.



Tips have been interesting, the stock tips are good as you get Type-E tips that work excellent for me to get a deep seal. This is needed for a fuller sound and to get the BC working, the Kbear 07 also works. The Xelastec tips in the accessories didn't work for me, due the stiffness of the material. Another very good tips has been the Eletech Baroque tips, they are better than the Final E tips as they sound more spacious with a similar amount of fullness of sound.

Hiby FC6 is an excellent dongle for the Verdandi, it has a good way of making it less bright and more fun and organic. And an even smoother and more forgiving sound with the Colorfly CDA M1P dongle.
HIBY R8 II DAP is also excellent, especially with the Dynamic plugin to boost the bass. It's not needed with it, but it can make it more suitable for my taste this way.




Comparisons

When evaluating the sets I use each of them over longer periods and also some shorter sessions swapping back and forth, it takes a long time and is not done in one sitting. The most critical comparison is done on my desktop setup that is highly resolving, with volume matching through a microphone to take away loudness variance.

The spider chart is slightly exaggerated on some points to show differences.





Hisenior Mega5EST

A really good tribrid with 1 DD 2 BA and 2 EST, tuned warm neutral with decent technicalities looking at price range and spec.

Soundstage is slightly above average with a good amount of separation and imaging capabilities, projection is more traditional instead of the more holographic Verdandi but in return is larger than Verdandi.

Bass is more elastic and organic, with slightly slower decay. It also sounds more sub bass focused than Verdandi, while the Verdandi perhaps has more tactility in the mid bass.

Low mids are more thick and vibrant than Verdandi, so both vocals and instruments have more soul to them. While the upper midrange is slightly relaxed and less bright than the Verdandi, it makes more music palatable without fatigue.

Treble is more elevated and better extended than Verdandi, and due to this also sounds more airy and open in the treble.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hisenior-mega5est.26822/review/33101/



AüR Audio Aure

An older hybrid 1DD 6BA that is now discounted, I have it with me in the review as Verdandi and Aure measure almost the same. Biggest change is that Aure doesn't have a crossover for the DD, this means it works full range and gives you a mix of DD and BA for mids and treble.

The resolution is a step below the Verdandi, and that goes for all the spectrum. Soundstage is very similar in how holographic and 3D it is, just that it's even more intimate.

Bass is much softer and has a longer decay than the Verdandi, but it sounds thicker. Just lacks a little of the kick that Verdandi has on the mid bass due to the fast driver and the BC.

Star of the Aure is the midrange, being very detailed on vocals while having both nice body to them and clarity. Very similar to Verdandi overall in the midrange, except also being more full bodied.

Treble is less refined than Verdandi, but has a similar amount of treble and air. It's just that it lacks something that I think is due to the EST drivers of Verdandi, due to this it sounds more blunted and the least shimmery.

Quite old review, and maybe a little outdated:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/aür-audio-aure.26139/review/30836/



Music

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/ad7bbfa3-2067-4235-b2ed-f5a3fb53ff28

When comparing Kinera Verdandi to other sets I have used the tracks listed here and more.
The link is to a playlist consisting of some tracks I have saved for testing, it's still a work in progress.

I will also do it a little differently than what I usually do, I'll mention a small part under each track with how each IEM sounds like compared to the Verdandi. I will provide a link to each track for you to test out, my own listening being with my FLAC files or Tidal streaming.



The Hanging Stars Golden Shore

https://songwhip.com/thehangingstars/golden-shore

Verdandi
Would have liked some extra warmth personally, but the balance is really good and might be more to some preference here. Very resolving, except for maybe a little in the bass being less dynamic. Very holographic staging, just a Little on the intimate side.

Mega5EST
Has the best tonality for me on this, natural amount of fullness and not too bright. Sounds more engaging and fun, the set I want to lay down with and listen to on repeat. Also sound the largest and most spacious on the stage.

Aure
Most intimate sounding, everything sounds closer and more in my head but with exceptionally good 3D imaging. His voice is the least detailed, same for the instruments.



Norah Jones - Don’t Know Why

https://songwhip.com/norah-jones/dontknowwhy

Verdandi
This pushes her voice more forward, has plenty of resolving nature to show every nuance in her vocal. Verdandi has more breathiness and a shimmery voice presentation, but also means that the more intense parts are quite intense.
The instruments are already a little in the back, but are perhaps even more pushed back here due to the upper mids pushing the vocal forth.

Mega5EST
Sounds the most balanced and relaxed here, lacking some bite to her vocals that both Verdandi and Aure have. I prefer less presence so this is more pleasing for me, while people who like their female vocals forward and nuanced would not like this as much. She also without sounding more forward has thicker sound to her darker parts, and same can be said for the instruments in the back.

Aure
Very similar to Verdandi overall, and has actually even more bite to her sharper moments. But also have a thicker and less open timbre than Verdandi. She also sounds even more close and intimate, very emotional as he sings to your face.



Ben Howard - Small Things

https://songwhip.com/ben-howard/small-things

Verdandi
Has a very resolving sound here, it sounds the most delicate and clean. Just sounds a little thinner than I prefer, the cymbals have less bite than the other two sets. Quite interesting it has the most punchy kick on the drums, even if Verdandi is the least bassy. An Exceptionally good 3D soundstage, sounds good in all directions.

Mega5EST
Sound more full and has more body to his voice and drums, this also goes for the cymbals having more bite. But overall sound less technical and open sounding than Verdandi, but more fun and pleasing. Sound the most balanced of the 3.

Aure
Quite interesting as this is more like I'm listening to a hybrid of the other two, this sounds the fullest of them. His vocal is denser like Mega5est but as detailed as Verdandi, and same as Verdandi do not have as crisp cymbals. Drums are a little softer than the other two, but his vocals are the lushest.



Laslo - Dorkmeister

https://songwhip.com/laslo/dorkmeister

Verdandi
The deep bass elements make the bone conductor of Verdandi show its magic. The bass has this extra tactile vibrating feel and sound, and the amount of detail is quite good.

Mega5EST
Sounds the most deep and sub bassy, with a very nuanced and awesome bass performance. Less tactile but even so sound fuller than Verdandi.

Aure
The most intense of the three with more of a wall of sound, and is the least open and clear sounding. Also the least amount of detail in the bass nuances.



Lianne La Havas - Paper Thin

https://songwhip.com/lianne-la-havas/paper-thin

Verdandi
Very nuanced and emotional presentation of her voice, and the drums for that sake. Sounds very crisp and open, super black image behind the instruments making it all sound dynamic and separated.

Mega5EST
Lack some of the emotion and bite to her voice that the other two have, but in return sound more lush and thick. And is close to the same resolution as Verdandi, perhaps just a step behind and I think this is more due to tuning than the drivers themselves.

Aure
Emotional and resolving on her vocal similar to Verdandi, but sound thicker at the same time.
Little less open sounding, but it suits the music track more. Personally love the Aure for female vocals, as it has a mix of DD and BA for the midrange.



Intronaut - Cubensis

https://songwhip.com/intronaut/cubensis

Verdandi
Due to the less warmth the Verdandi has the most clarity and open sound, can also help everything sound less busy. But at the same time it sounds overly thin and soulless for rock and metal music, and it's very clear here on both the instruments and the vocal.

Mega5EST
I find Mega5EST neutral and slightly warm IEM, but compared to the Verdandi it sounds more like a rich sounding bass set. Especially noticeable on the music here, as it's much less aggressive and fatiguing. And can keep up with the technicalities and speed as good as Verdandi without being bright, perhaps with a little less separation.

Aure
A very intense listen, but due to the bass having a good enough amount of bass it doesn't sound overly bright. Still what I consider to energetic for metal like this, and it also sound the least open and clear of them.



Charlie Haden, Antonio Forcione - La Pasionaria

https://songwhip.com/charlie-haden/la-pasionaria

Verdandi
Double bass and guitar duo, since there are so few instruments it's easy to listen to the bass or guitar parts alone. The double bass sound detailed only lacked a little density, as in each note being a little too fast and light. The guitar on the other hand is resolving and nuanced, with high amount of clarity where you hear everything from the buzz to the fingers hitting the strings to dampen.

Mega5EST
Sound fuller and more detailed on the bass, with a more natural amount of decay. Guitar also has more thickness and soul, but in return lacks some of the bite from the Verdandi. And even if Mega5EST has less bite it is as resolving as Verdandi, just a small step behind as it has less clarity and also less energetic sound for this.

Aure
Again very similar to being a hybrid of the other two, similar thickness and Mega5EST on the bass and guitar. But have the clarity on the guitar similar to Verdandi, sound perhaps the most full of all of them due to this mix. Just at times the bass can sound a little woolly compared to the others.



Sylvaine - Fortapt

https://songwhip.com/sylvaine/fortapt

Verdandi
Beautiful kind of atmospheric dark metal, her voice is angelic and nice on Verdandi. But when the intense parts happen it sounds too thin and energetic, and doesn't have enough fullness to the guitar drums or even the cymbal strikes.
If it was music with just the softer parts Verdandi would have been really good.

Mega5EST
At once sound fuller and more to my liking, even if this sounds a little too neutral also for this music.
Little less resolving than Verdandi on her voice, but sound more technical on the drumming and guitars.

Aure
Very similar to Verdandi, is also maybe the most congested during the busy parts. They measure almost the same, and its quite clear here except for Verdandi being more open and resolving.



Adam Baldych, Leszek Mozdzer - Passacaglia

https://songwhip.com/adam-baldych/passacaglia

Verdandi
Resolving, the sound is really crisp and nuanced on both the grand piano and the violin.
Lack a little airiness to some of the piano overtones, but overall sound very pleasing and bright without being tiresome. The Violin also sounded very emotional and detailed on both the staccato and bowing.

Mega5EST
The most spacious soundstage of them, with the most realistic stage. The most airy also and sound due to this the most natural, specially when paired with the dense and emotionally violin and grand piano parts.

Aure
The Aure can have a little more bite to the brighter parts of the piano, and also sound fuller on the violin bowing than the Verdandi. While also being a little less technical and open sounding, everything is closer in the soundstage and more intimate.



Conclusion

This is a very good and engaging set, it doesn't hit my exact preference in tuning. I can still love the sound but it depends on the music playing, this is because of the more energetic upper midrange.

When it is matching my music I get a holographic and emotional presentation, for me it's a master of brighter vocalists and instruments like piano that make good use of the upper midrange clarity.
I prefer it more with acoustic music where the delicate and energetic notes can shine, also due to how clean and separated the Verdandi is.

You also get a bone conductor for the low end that is implemented well without being overdone, this will also depend on how good fit you get. This gives bassy music like techno a visceral and enjoyable low end, very fun experience and adds an extra element into the music.

From a subjective sound preference the Verdandi is a 4 star, that is very good according to my ranking system. But if I add in the luxurious design, accessories and adding equalization it’s a solid 4.5 star release.

Pros:

• Warm smooth sound
• Natural timbre
• Good clean midrange
• Non fatiguing
• Good accessories
• Soundstage above average
• Good bass extension

Cons:

• Lacks treble and air
• Maybe boring for some due to not being that energic
• Resolution is average for the price
• Bass is not that impactful
• Mid bass is lean
• Plays better at higher volume, especially for low range

Letshouer DZ4, mini review and impression. Posting it on product page for more easy access.

I got the LETSHUOER DZ4 for free in exchange for some impressions online, thanks to @Letshuoer Marketing for this.

Disclaimer

The DZ4 is my second IEM from LETSHUOER, I got it for free in exchange for written impressions online.
All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for some time.

These are my thoughts at this moment, and as time moves I might change my opinion.

This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear.
Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you.
While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.







Accessories and the presentation are good, you get two sets of tips and one cable. The tips are silicone, one set for vocal focus and one that is more balanced. In small, medium and large.
The cable is good, both in comfort and sound. Look quite good also, the only downside is aggressive ear guides.

How does it sound

First of all the sound is very natural, not too dark and not too bright. While some music might lack a little magic, overall I find it very pleasing.

Bass is a little light, it extends well down into the sub range. Can also have a good impact when the bass kicks are more in the lowest range. Mid bass is what is lacking the most, so some music will not have the fullness that you may love. The drivers are also rather small, so I don't feel that so much air is moved. This also is true if I eq up more bass, bass seem to lose detail also when boosted to much.

Mids is very correct, goes for instruments and vocals. Has some sort of warmth and softness, makes it sound very pleasing while also retaining much resolution. Does for example bright female voices very well, due to no mid bass bleed at all. While on some artists I personally would have liked more fullness and presence. I found piano and brass to be very good, same for string instruments. Drums and some electric guitars can lack a little grunt.

Treble is relaxed, extension is average and I have heard better sets for treble. it is not veiled but lacks sparkle and treble energy.

Soundstage I find above average when comparing to single DDs under100usd.
Resolution is slightly above most single DDs at this price, while under the champions.

Comfort is superb with a small shell with just the right nozzle diameter and length that should please most people. I have large ears and prefer bigger IEMs or longer nozzles than most people, I still think DZ4 is great.





Comparison to Tangzu Wan'er S.G Jade, Simgot EA500 and VE SiE.



Tangzu Wan'er SG Jade

Single DD IEM that is known as the best midcentric budget IEM, very refined sound perfect for vocals. One reason that I chose this model is that the first listen with DZ4 reminded me of Wan'er on vocals. But when I tested more, I found out it doesn't have the more analog feel that DZ4 has.

Compared to the rest, this one has a cheap feel to it. Plastic is not premium and it feels too light. But ergonomics is perfect for me personally, just wish it had normal 2 Pin.



Simgot EA500

Single DD IEM, but it is similar in price and looks very good in its metal shell. Comfort is good for most people, while I personally prefer more ergonomic designs. Biggest problem for me is the aggressive angle on the nozzle, and since it is short the body of EA500 hits the concha.

Maybe the most resolving IEM under 100usd, great tonality for most people. The midrange is a problem spot for me, that can make it sound shouty or metallic. Also the bass could have been bigger to meet my preference, but the bass is of superb quality. Simgot clearly has used a very good driver in EA500. It is very easy to mod the EA500 to get more bass, or use filters to change the upper range. But to make it fair, I will use the stock config here.



Venture Electronics SiE

Single DD IEM, similar price as DZ4 and EA500. Maybe my favorite single DD, has a lush and more analog feel. it is almost like a mini Penon Serial, for those who know that one. Bass is boosted in the whole range, and it also thickens up vocals. Mids forward and full, treble detailed while maybe slightly dark since bass is so prominent.

Metal build that is slightly heavy, but very ergonomic for me. Color and design will not be for everyone, while I think this is very classy. Uses the MMCX connector, not the biggest fan of this.



Comparison

Using Kbear 07 tips, cable on EA500 and Wan’er is XINHS 16 core copper and a XINHS 2 core SPC for SiE.
Both Simgot EA500 and LETSHUOER DZ4 are free units, so my take should be neutral between those two. SiE and Wan'er I bought at full price, SiE is also the most expensive of the 4.

I have mostly used my own files or Tidal, but I will provide a YouTube link for you to test.



Electronica from Germany, Epsilon has many releases I like. Not the most advanced track, but great for just seeing how the bass performs.

DZ4 had good bass even though the amount is not that much, sounds correct to me in the quality. What I noticed is that it plays better loud, and seems like the bass at low volume can have a weird resonance to it.
The vocals and the rest are also very clear and detailed.

Wan'er has more bass and more visceral, overall warmer sound than DZ4. The rest is more fuzzy and less detailed than DZ4.

EA500 is more on the cold side here, bass is tactile but lacks in amount so you don't get impressed. Lots of detail, maybe more than DZ4.

SiE is warm sounding, bass is absolutely the most with more air that is moving so you really feel the bass. Bass is softer and less impactful, it is on the slower side here. Detail is similar to DZ4, and above Wan'er.

My preference here:
1: SiE 2: DZ4 3: Wan'er 4:EA500



Deeply Disturbed is one of my favorites from Infected Mushroom, blends rock and electronica into a brilliant mix. Lots going on so will just focus mostly on rhythm and tonality, how well it handles them all together.

DZ4 does lack bass for this, the bass is not as full and feels hollow. Tonality is also too midcentric where it is actually a little tiresome. Overall resolution goes down since it can not handle some parts so well.

Wan'er has much better tonality for this, either due to it being a bigger and better dynamic driver or just the amount of mid bass. Slightly less detail going on, but a much more enjoyable tonality for this. Don't feel like it is too slow, but at the same time it lacks a little of the wow factor.

EA500 has also very good bass here, quality is maybe better than Wan'er but should have had a few dB more. Resolution is top notch, but also due to more forwardness and energetic sound it gets the most tiresome over time. Also has the blackest background of them all, so it sounds really clean.

SiE is epic for this, low end is spectacular and slams with authority. Never feels too busy, and has high resolving capability that is above DZ4 here. The sound is the most analog, maybe the one with the most thick warm sound that is bordering slightly towards darkness compared to the rest.

My preference here:
1: SiE 2: EA500 3: Wan'er 4: DZ4



Terrace Martin has some great releases within the jazz or jazz hop genre, this is no exception and is a superb album and track. He has a nice voice and has an old school vibe, like a 90s hip hop sound blended with jazz. The track is bass heavy with a thicker mid presentation, great vocals by Phoelix here.

DZ4 has a great low end, and the bass is not too prominent and makes his vocal stand more forward. The song uses a slow type of bass that rumbles, and DZ4 has no problem doing it.
Can clearly hear all the details in his vocals and the rest of the mix.

Wan'er is much thicker here, almost so the bass takes over more of the sound. His vocals lack a little detail compared to DZ4, just the little extra lacking. At the same time his vocal is slightly thick, and might be more fun for some.

EA500 lacks a little in the amount here, slightly less than DZ4. Not the quality, as the bass quality is great. Lacks a little fullness in his voice, it's a little thin sounding. Also the cymbal and the sparkle sound are sharp and unpleasant. This sharpness can be more of a problem for me, since EA500 hits a pain zone for me. While overall resolution is great and the best.

SiE has the most bass obviously. it is also the one who shows the most detail in the rumble, be it a little soft compared to DZ4. Sounds better than Wan'er on the vocal part, even if the low end is more boosted it does not drown the vocal. The sound here gives off more of a R&B or Hip Hop sound, really fun while maybe not as correct as DZ4.

My preference here:
1: SiE 2: DZ4 3 Wan'er 4: EA500



Very cool track from Emily King’s last album Special Occasion. Lots going on here and fun to keep playing track on repeat while comparing. Both instruments and vocals are very clear and present.

DZ4 is fun here, while personally I would have preferred more mid bass here. Her voice is superb with good detail, lots of nuances in both the slow and fast parts. The instrument parts have some nice organic sound to it, like how it sounds real and not metallic like some sets.

Wan'er has a much more correct amount of bass here, with also better quality than DZ4. It does the buzzed bass sound in a more detailed and pleasing way. Her vocals are also more forward in the mix than DZ4, more front row and in your face. This also shows more details for the vocal parts, while maybe the rest of the sounds are behind DZ4.

EA500 has the most clean and lean sound, crystal clear in fact. The bass is of very good quality and I would only have more of it. Her vocal has similar forwardness in the mix like Wan'er, with a little more resolution than Wan'er for her voice. Borderline to energetic sound here, get fatigued much faster due to it.

SiE has a thick presentation here, very addicting and fun. The sound is slightly dark, still very detailed anyway. Bass hits are seriously good, impactful on every hit. And that slow distorted bass part is great and even better than Wan'er. She has a lot of expression in her vocal while being slightly thick sounding, in a way it suits the song more.

My preference here:
1: SiE 2: Wan'er 3: DZ4 4: EA500



Tell Me is J-Pop by millet, I often use it to check female vocal, sibilance and overall energy.
Intense track, very in your face with the whole presentation. The more intense parts have lots going on, some sets get more congested make it a mess.

DZ4 has good control and doesn't sound that bright here, she has some sibilance to her voice. The amount is not bad, and the overall tuning is quite pleasing.

Wan'er has more note weight, and her vocal is slightly more forward. At the more intense part Wan'er is showing the sibilance more than DZ4.

EA500 is super clear for J-pop, but it doesn't go well with female vocals. The upper midrange is very energetic, and makes it the most fatiguing of them all. Sibilance shows the most of all the sets, at the same time it also has more presence in her voice. Showing every thing that comes out.

SiE is much thicker sounding than the rest, while still keeping great detail. Personally I find this tonality the most pleasing, but she also lacks presence for her voice. Hear the least sibilance of them.

My preference here:
1: DZ4 2: SiE Er 3:Wan'er 4: EA500



Grew up with this as one of my first CDs, and loved it while maybe Enter Sandman was my favorite.

DZ4 does the intro very well, the guitar is sounding full and detailed. Drums lack a little impact and fullness, cymbals also are a little hollow. His voice could have had a little more thick presence.

Wan'er with more mid bass makes this much more correct, but Wan'er has a problem with sharpness on many of the parts. Drums are better here due to the bass, also his singing. While it is behind on the guitar. Less detailed than DZ4.

EA500 has great detail, especially on the cymbal and the guitars The drums are very behind, and don't show much. Cymbal hits are painful, rings in my ears. Same goes for his voice, it has some insane forwardness on some parts.

SiE is what I love for Metallica, perfect on everything. Detailed, full, energetic and full head bang power. Only small part is that his voice lacks a little something on the presence part, even while being full sounding.

My preference here:
1: SiE 2: Wan’er Er 3: DZ4 4: EA500



Heavy metal and quite different from the style on the track over, Ritual is really cool and I love it.

DZ4 does this one better than Enter Sandman, it has a more full sound. His voice is super clean and detailed with good fullness. Cymbals lack a little and are almost hollow, I think this is something to do with not having good enough treble extension. While the guitar parts are nice, same for the bass part. In a way the sound is almost more analog and matches better than what I would believe. Maybe since this track is not as fast, with less going on than Enter Sandman.

Wan'er has less detail than DZ4, maybe just the cymbal has more air. His vocals are more forward, but lack the detail of DZ4. While good, the Wan'er lacks some of the DZ4 magic.

EA500 does this really well, the more energetic energy don't wreck my ears. But it lacks fullness, and sounds too thin. Super resolving, can hear everything like a microscope.

SiE is good here, but since the Ritual already is on the darker side the matching isn't perfect. But this is nit-picking, I still love SiE on this. Give a very thick presentation, and his vocal has some extra soul.

My preference here:
1: DZ4 2: SiE Er 3: EA500 4: Wan'er



GoGo Penguin has some great contemporary jazz, Bardo is a lively and busy track.

DZ4 has some really good tonality for this, a good balance of warmth and natural sound while never being peaky on the brighter piano parts.
Nice resolution, can clearly hear detail in everything from how the cymbals are hit to how the strings buzz.

Wan'er is softer in the sound, for example how piano notes lack the tactile notes and sound more rounded instead. Even easier to listen to than DZ4.

EA500 is competing against DZ4 on resolution here, overall sound is colder with more bite to it. Still sound quite natural, but don't have the more analog feel of DZ4.

SiE is the darkest of them, lacks some clarity of the rest. Bass does also take over much of the music.

Ranking for me on this 1: DZ4 2: EA500 3: Wan'er 4: SiE



Train to Kyoto is a complex and simple track, there are only two instruments playing tenor sax and double bass.
Mellow and slow, it is easy to listen after details in both the sax and double bass.

DZ4 has a mellow feel to this, smooth and relaxing. The stage also is quite deep and wide, the biggest of them. I like this very much.

Wan'er is the least detailed of them, with the stage being average and slightly under SiE. Maybe the best balance of mellow and clear presentation.

EA500 moves everything more forward in your face, like the stage is quite small. The double bass has so much detail, you can hear every vibration. Sax is also nice and detailed while it lacks a little of the more mellow feel that the other sets have.

SiE is not what I like here, I much prefer less bass for this. Reason being that the double bass gets too forward. Sax is very good with loads of detail, while lacking a little clarity. Stage is quite wide and detailed but under DZ4.

My preference here:
1: DZ4 2: SiE Er 3: Wan'er 4: SiE

A spider Graph of how I position it, it is very roughly done. Exaggerations done slightly to position them better.





Conclusion

I had a good time with LETSHUOER DZ4, I was expecting it to be a total wreck after all the passive radiator talk. But the truth is that DZ4 has a good tonality that goes well with many genres, not everything is a perfect match. I found the sweet spot for more easy music with less instruments going on, for example jazz trios are super. Most pop music is nice, be it from the west or j-pop/k-pop. Even some sub bass oriented IDM has been great.

Sound has an organic feel, and doesn't feel unnatural or artificial. Bass has great sub extension and okay amount, but lacks in amount of mid bass that makes some music thin. Midrange natural and well textured, both vocals and instruments are pleasing and detailed.
Treble is where it falls behind, lacking both energy and detail.
Only good thing about this is that the sound is never fatiguing, and it depends on person to person if it's a deal breaker.

According to my friend this is a budget LETSHUOER EJ70M, lacking the technicalities but give you a taste of it.

It is not a set that will destroy the competition, it doesn't do anything particularly wrong. Do I recommend it, yes if you don’t have any sets like this. Or you just want to test a triple DD setup, and want to see what it's about. The competition is strong around this price, so I doubt it will have a lasting impression in the community.
Ranking System

1 Very bad or unlistanable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

Price can push something up or down half grade.

Going by this ranking system together with my deeper evaluation matrix.
From sonic standpoint I would give it 3 stars, and this is not bad. Since its new tech they are truing and price low it gets 3.5.

Aure my green emerald

The Aure is my second IEM from AüR Audio, I bought it with my own money. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for a good time, and I have no association with AüR writing this. This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.


About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with sub and mid bass boost, mids can be forward but not too much. I can also handle some treble spikes if it is not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned IEMs for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.
Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.

My current standard in IEMs is AüR Audio Neon Pro and Penon Serial. The Neon Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me. The Penon Serial that also has a near perfect tonality for me, that is more relaxing and organic sounding with its triple DD configuration.
Both of them have sound signatures that I can listen to all types of music with.

Gear used in the main rig is Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have also used the Feliks Audio Echo, one of the more silent OTL amps.

Portable gear used during the review: Truthear SHIO, Tempotec Sonata HD II , Hiby R6 III, Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022, Quidelix 5k DAC/AMP.

I have a good range of cables from ISN, DUNU, Penon, NiceHCK, XINHS and some others.

My absolute favorite cable pairing with the Aure has been the Penon Mix cable, very close second is a good silver plated copper from XINHS.



Aür Audio

AüR Audio is a Singapore brand who makes in-ear monitors and is founded by two friends, Nicholas Teo and Abel Hsu. It is a small business where Abel handles the research and development while Nicholas manages the sales, marketing and distribution.

The IEMs are handmade by Abel from start to end of production, carefully ensuring that everything is perfect with a quality control that is above the usual chi-fi market.

On the other side of AüR is Nicholas who has his customers in mind, one of the most helpful sellers I have contacted. When I have asked something about their products or recommendation for other audio related gear, he has been more than happy to help me out.

https://www.auraudio.store/

Allure 6 BA (Discontinued)
Neon 10 BA (Discontinued)
Neon Pro 10 BA
Aure 8mm DD and 6 BA (Discontinued)
Alita 12 BA
Aurora 2 DD and 6 BA
Ascension Configuration still secret coming soon
Allusion Configuration still secret coming soon





So what is the Aure

The Aure is a hybrid IEM with 1 DD and 6 BA, tuned to be W shaped in its sound with spectacular mids. When I ordered the Aure I was not sure about the green shell, but it looked spectacular. I love how you can see everything inside, also how tidy Abel’s work is. This is made by hand and not 3D printed.

The Aure has been made in a small quantity around 25 units, and had to be discontinued since the driver they choose is not up to their standard anymore.

They have focused on selling the IEM in the cheapest way possible. Accessories and cable are not much, but enough to get you going. That is what you get for paying less. The cable provided is an average 2 core silver plated copper, and you also get a hard case with some tips.

The form factor is very ergonomic and the shells are average in size, they are also very light. AüR knows how to make comfortable shells, same goes for the nozzles having good length while not too long. It also has a very perfect angle and width so I can use 1 size smaller tip and still get a perfect seal.
If I could nit-pick a lip on the nozzle it would be good to secure the tips more.

8mm Dynamic Drivers for all ranges
2 Balanced Armatures for mids
4 Balanced Armatures for treble

Frequency Response: 20 hz - 20kHz
Impedance: 15Ω at 1 kHz
Sensitivity: 108 +- 1dB at 1 kHz




Some photos from the maker Abel:





Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

At first listen I was welcomed by musicality more than being overwhelmed by detail, first time testing Neon Pro I got the other reaction. I liked the Aure right from the get go, I did let it burn in for many days after and probably have over 300 hours burnin/usage now. And if anything has changed its how coherent the dynamic driver has melted together with the rest.

The overall timbre is slightly coloured with some extra emphasis on bass and mids, the treble is actually the most neutral part here. I would category the sound signature as a W shaped sound similar to what others have said before me.

There is no BA timbre at all going on here, the DD used is covering all the ranges without an advanced crossover board. I have a good feeling this is the reason why the mids and treble sound so organic, smooth and full sounding.

There is just sometimes when listening to very fast music that I would have wished for the sound to be faster.This is where I prefer to use planars or all BA sets instead like the Neon Pro.


Going to use the ranges here in review:



Details and soundstage

When first testing Aure after having used the Neon Pro for many months almost exclusively, the Aure appeared less detailed. And after having adjusted my ears to the change the Aure shows lots of details from the lowest notes up into the highest ranges. What impresses me the most is maybe how smooth and easy going the sound is while retaining good details.

Soundstage is not the largest or closed in, it has an intimate approach. It sounds like you are sitting in the front row to a performance, this is a very good combo when listening to most music. This is not the sound If you are a person who prefers the grandest stage and listens mostly to orchestral pieces.

Bass

The bass in Aure is controlled and reaches deep into the sub bass range with good visceral impact. When listening to a low drum kick the speed is not slow and not fast like BA bass can be. I would say it is very natural sounding to how real life drums are portrayed.

The Aure has some extra mid bass, so the sound gets that fuller thickness. This is what I always prefer, it is why I am not a fan of very many sets that get released after the Harman target.

There is also some good detail going, listening to cello playing you notice very much but not as much as you can hear with some good all BA sets.

The amount of bass is north of neutral, but it's not a bass head level. I still believe this can satisfy most people unless you need your brains to rattle, nothing wrong with that I also enjoy a full on bass experience from time to time.

Mids

This is perhaps the most magical part of the Aure, the mid range is slightly forward and has a fullness thanks to both the balanced armatures and the dynamic driver. For me this means musicality and detail, so much detail and emotion you hear in both vocals and instruments. Often I get fatigued by forward mids, never here. There is some voodoo magic going on and I am addicted to it.

Both male and female vocals are equally good, and it nevers gets shouty or too much.

The mid range does not increase too much up into the upper mids, for me this means I can listen to more types of music with the Aure without getting fatigued.

Treble

I mentioned earlier that the treble is slightly stepped back compared to the bass and mids, this is so small that I only notice it if I go from a high energy IEM like the Neon Pro. What is very present is that there is lots of treble detail going on, while at the same time the sound is not overly forward. This is not at the level of the most resolving IEMs, but it is higher than other hybrids/tribrids around this price point and some that even cost more.

There is also a good amount of shimmering in the upper air harmonics and should please most people.

The treble feels effortless, it's not like there is any struggle.



Music

I will just talk about some of the music I like, the music I use here are some of my reference tracks. When I am listening to music and not evaluating, I prefer to listen to whole albums. That goes for the albums here, all of them I like. When comparing the Aure to other sets I have used the tracks listed here.


Jacob Guerevitsch - Lovers in Paris

Danish artist who plays the spanish guitar, his guitar technique is sublime. Mexican margarita was recommended by my friend Tony, and has stuck with me as one of my best test tracks. Perfect for evaluating how capable a set is, I bet I can use this one track alone and know if I like a set or not.

The best part is how natural and full sounding the guitar is on the Aure, here you hear so much detail from the strings or the buzzing when it is drummed on the guitar. The speed of the Aure is perfect and it never feels like there's too much going on. Amount of bass is just right making it sound full sounding.

I would have preferred a little extra bite in the treble here similar to the Neon Pro. But at the same time the Aure is maybe more natural sounding.




Haevn - Trade it for the Night

One of my favorite tracks to check male vocals, the amount of expression and emotion is breathtaking. Even at the start I knew the Aure was special with how the clapping sounded, then when he started to sing I was sold. I can talk about how textured the chorus is or how his voice vibrates, but the thing is it is perfect.

The drum hits are also impactful and you can feel it, more bass would have been too much on this track.

The nuances in his voice is breathtaking, and it feels like I am next to him recording this.




Swallow The Sun - Woven into Sorrow

One of my favorite bands is Swallow The Sun, this is music I prefer with faster sets. Still this is on the slower side and the Aure can keep up.

Nothing to complain about his voice, it shows the emotions he tries to portray and sounds full. Going to the drum, each cymbal strike or drum hit has lots of detail and sounds very clear and natural. The distorted guitar has some good thickness and feels brutal and fun. Same for drums having just the right type of decay.

The violins give some epic backing up to his voice in the end, even the last part of death growling is portrayed very good and maybe better than my Neon Pro.




Intronaut - Cubensis

Not the fastest metal track, but a good track overall to check how busy an IEM sounds like. Also very good to just listen to drum hits and distorted guitar. Here I would say I would have liked a little clearer sound with faster impact, a few parts can appear slightly congested compared to my reference.
I am also very harsh when saying it, I always listen to music like this with the Neon Pro or ZMF Verite both being on the faster side.

What the Aure does perfectly is not becoming fatiguing, it has a good line of having nice energy in the sound while not being overdone. The drums are visceral and fun, same goes for his voice being full sounding and not screechy.



Francis Harris - Pensum

Leland is the debut album from Francis Harris, I love the whole album. Maybe not the most unique house album out there but it has what I call soul, it is masterfully made with almost a minimalistic approach without too much going on.

The bass beat is hypnotizing and drags me into a mindstate where I close my eyes and only listen. The Aure has a wonderful low end for Pensum track. The same for how it handles the trumpet, it's breathy and soft while showing more than enough detail. There are some background sounds appearing now and then,some stuff you only hear on more resolving sets.

What I did not believe was that the Aure would pick up so much of the background.
Very good separation of the music with good layering even if it's not the widest or deepest.




Agnes Obel - Familiar

Here we are getting both vocal and instruments, one of my favorite tracks to test midrange on. It is very emotional on Aure, you get that sound I talked about before where you are right in front of the performance. Her voice is nuanced and you can almost hear how close she has been to the microphone while recording. There are nuances you hear like how she turns away from the microphone to dampen the voice or singing more into it to get more breathiness.

The male vocals also have lots of detail and emotion, at one point I got chills when evaluating the last part.

The cellos are used both for bowing and plucking with lots of detail in each note, with enough fullness that cellos deserve.


Dominique Fils-Aimé - Birds

The perfect song to show how emotional and breathtaking the vocal presentation of how the Aure is. The song has Dominique's voice with some acapella, a cello and some clapping going on. Nothing more but sounds so perfect and full, I get moved by this song. And I have never heard a better presentation than with Aure. The nuances are almost overwhelming and it leaves me wanting more when going over to other sets.

Here also you can hear the subtle changes of the string plucking of the strings, the resonating tone continuing to it is stopped.



Herbie Hancock - Chameleon

Can start with saying that the Aure is now my favorite set to be used with different jazz or funk music. At first I would believe that the forward mids would be too much for me as I can be sensitive to brighter brass or piano, but no this balances everything perfect for me in jazz.

Legendary track, so much going here. The drums sound really good, maybe I would have preferred a slight more bite to the cymbal strikes. The synth bassline sounds really good, with enough decay to not become stale.

The tenor sax playing at the end sounds really good and has just the right amount of bite to it.

Here you also get a real good sense of the soundstage of the Aure, you are brought into the center of the music with sounds coming from all directions. The soundstage is perfect for smaller jazz groups, while I still prefer a more grand stage when listening to big band jazz.




Yello - Kiss In Blue

Maybe my favorite track from Yello, rhythmic instruments and intimate vocals. Perhaps the perfect track for showing what the Aure is capable of doing. The bass beat hits hard and drags you into the music, then Heidi pulls you more in with a sensual voice.

First off how good the low end is here was not something I was expecting when I got the Aure, I knew that vocal presentations were going to be excellent. But the bass did probably impress me the most, it feels effortless with good impact and good texture. Keep in mind this track has lots of bass and can sometimes feel overdone on some sets.

Both Dieter and Heidi are perfect, I could not have wished for anything else from the Aure.
Same goes for the instruments and detail, just perfect musicality.





Comparisons





Penon Serial

The Serial is a reference set for me on how dynamic driver IEMs should sound like, very correct in musical playback with its analog touch.

Serial uses 3 dynamic drivers. One for bass, mids and treble. It has a natural sound that is more dark and analogue, speed is also slower due to longer resonating decay. It is very musical and fun, which makes me enjoy music more than just picking it apart. So for $300, it is a unique and special IEM. I believe there is a huge chance you would buy one after demoing the Serial.

The sound is darker in the Serial compared to the Aure, both have a very pleasant timbre. They both make music enjoyable and fun, while never being tiresome. They have enough difference in their timbre. making both great to have in your collection.

The bass in the Aure has similar resolution to the Serial, the sub bass amount and impact is stronger in the Aure. While moving into the mid bass the slam and amount is more in the Serial. But both have similar engaging bass, some songs are better on the Aure while another will be better on the Serial.

Moving into the mids both are great performers, both do both instruments and vocals perfectly.
The one having the best vocals goes to the Aure with a more intimate and higher resolving capability. Same goes for instruments being more pleasing on the Aure, while I adore the Serial there is some of the upper mid range that can get too much for me.

Treble is also more detailed and more forward the Aure, this is also why I call the Serial slightly dark sounding. Both have good treble extension, but there is more airyness in the Aure.

Soundstage on both are circular sounding around you, while the Serial positions everything further out.




Penon FAN 2

The FAN 2 I have back on loan for this, it is also a hybrid IEM with a W shaped sound signature.
It uses 2 DDs for the bass and 1 BA for mids and 1 BA for the high frequencies, modest specs but still achieves very good tonality. Only reason I do not own one anymore is due to fit issues, making them uncomfortable over time. Price is $279 when there is no sales going, so slightly cheaper than the Aure.

The first thing you notice is how fuller sounding the Aure is over the FAN 2. The bass goes deeper with better sub bass impact, the FAN 2 always seemed to lack something for me here. The mid bass is closer in quality and amount, but also here there is something that sounds better in the Aure over the FAN 2. When looking at the definition of drum hits or strings in the bass there is a similar definition.

When listening to both male and female vocals there is more intimacy and fullness on the Aure, it sounds more real and there is more resolution. Maybe not weird as there are more BA drivers together with the DD doing the mids on the Aure. The Fan 2 can be too unnatural on certain female voices, some harshness that is controlled better on the Aure. Instruments on both appear similar but also here certain brass instruments get fatiguing on the FAN 2 while this never happens on the Aure.

Treble amount is similar on both, the biggest difference is that the Aure has better airiness and higher resolution. The energy of the treble in the FAN 2 is slightly more.

Soundstage is wider and deeper on the FAN 2, where the Aure is more intimate. The Aure is more circular around you,while the FAN 2 feels a little distant with not as good imaging capabilities.



ISN EST50

The EST50 is a tribrid that I own and like, it fits quite well in here for a comparison. It is priced similarly but slightly more, and I recently finished my review for it. The sound of the EST50 is more L shaped in the sound signature with the bass taking the spotlight. Price is $449 and you get 1DD for low end, 1 BA for the mids and 1 for the high frequencies. Also for ultra high frequencies you get 2 EST drivers.


Bass is what surprised me the most with the EST50, it is known for its great low end. Providing textured bass that is boosted and reaching very low, almost like a subwoofer backing up a stereo system. Impactful bass kicks that make you smile, at least if you are a bass lover like me.
Both have impactful sub bass, but the EST50 is the most bass heavy. This can make certain songs be overbearing if they are already boosted in the sub bass, while the Aure never makes it get too much.

Both have similar mid bass energy, while it can sound more forward on the Aure due to the sub bass not being as boosted. I would rate both almost equally as good in the bass, and they were closer than what I would believe.

The bass in the Aure melts together better with the rest of the tonality, in the EST50 you can hear there is a difference going from the bass into the mids. The bass can also seem more distant like it is portrayed in a bigger room compared to the Aure.

Both female and male vocals are behind the energy of the bass, but this also makes them to never be shouty or sibilant. The Aure has more forward instrument and vocal playback compared to the EST50. Also the upper midrange is relaxing in the EST50 and more forward in the Aure. Even with being more forward the Aure is also the smoothest of the two in the mid range. The EST50 has very detailed mid range, but it falls behind the very detailed mids of the Aure.

Treble resolution of both is detailed and tuned without being shouty, the Aure is the most resolving set even with EST drivers in the EST50. Both are excellent in extension in the upper treble, detailed while not being increased too much.

Soundstage is very different, for me the EST50 is wider than deep. The Aure puts you more inside the music, while in the EST50 it's more like sitting right in front of a performance.





Summary

Why I called the Aure an emerald is because there is a saying that the emerald is a gem that relieves stress and brings joy. The Aure does a similar thing for me, when I am tired and want to enjoy some beautiful music this is the IEM I will put on.
I am happy I had a good time deciding on getting the Aure, as just some time after I ordered it was announced there were only a few more left. So this is now a very rare gem of an IEM, and I bet all that own cherish it.

The Aure has become one of my favorite sets, I could have taken my Aure and a few other IEMs and been set for life. It goes well with all my music, only for a few genres I prefer something else. Taking in the price it gets a solid 5 star rating.

So again congrats Abel and Nicholas this is the second time I rate something 5 star both from AüR, looking forward to your next release Aurora.

Ranking System

1 Very bad or unlistanable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

Price can push something up or down half grade.

Going by this ranking system together with my deeper evaluation matrix, the Aure get a solid 4 star. Bus it delivers something unique and special with a low cost it deserve the 4.5.

Effect Audio Ares S 8W Signature Series

Disclaimer

This is my first time owning an Effect Audio cable, I tried Cadmus 4 wire before and that is all the experience I have with EA. All impressions are my own subjective thoughts, I have used the cables over three weeks to gather my thoughts. I am writing this review in exchange for getting the cables free, they will also attend some meets for more to try them.

I know that cables is a heated topic, I have self been a sceptical person. So if you're against the description of cables, it's better to just stop here. I also think that cable is the thing that changes the sound the least in the chain when looking at IEM, source and tips.

Can be purchased over at Effect Audio:

https://www.effectaudio.com/

This is a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you. While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with increased low end, mids and treble can be forward but not too much. I am a believer in having different tuned gear for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.

Main music genres I listen to are metal, electronica, jazz, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there. I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman and Minidisc.

I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play. My wife has also played many instruments from string to wind instruments and also piano.

My current standard in Headphones is ZMF Verite and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.
Verite is my favourite for acoustic music and especially metal, while T1 for electronica.

My current standard in IEMs is AüR Audio Neon Pro and AüR Audio Aurora. The Neon Pro has 10 BAs, and has a near perfect tonality for me on the brighter side. AüR Audio Aurora 2 DD + 6 BA has one of the best bass qualities I have tried in an IEM, while not taking over the mids and showing superb natural sound.

Gear used this review:
In the main rig I use Topping E70 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokuis I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
I have also used the Feliks Audio Echo, one of the more silent OTL amps.

Portable gear under the testing have been Cayin N7, HIBY R6 Pro 2, HIBY R6 III, FIIO BTR7 and Penon Tail.



So who is Effect Audio

Incorporated in 2009, Effect Audio was founded to meet the needs of a niche segment of the audiophile and music industry professionals market.​

Effect Audio makes audio cables for the audiophile market, aimed for the more high end user than budget segment. Cables have a wide range of materials and price, even if the price is high you get a more premium delivery than all the budget brands out there.
Suyang funded Effect Audio and has been developing and exploring new cable ideas since the start, the model line-up since start.:

Legacy Era



Silver Era



Golden Era



Building A New Age of Classics



https://www.effectaudio.com/about-us



Ares S8 W the Final Battle

The Ares S 8W is a UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz cable named after the Greek God of War Ares, it's a suitable name for this cable. Effect Audio describes Ares like ¨Hungry for constant combat, he brings forth an immense sense of POWER in all his battles¨. And this is in a way the Ares cable, it's a thick sounding cable with maximum fullness to the sound.

• Selected Premium UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz
• Proprietary Dual Geometric Design
• EPO* 24 AWG 8 Wires
• EA Ultra Flexi™ Insulation
• ConX® Interchangeable Connector
• Rhodium Plated Brass Straight Type Plug

This is a high quality copper cable with 8 wires total, the extra wires over the original should improve the sound. Bolder and more dynamic sound that doesn't sacrifice details, more airy, smoother and extended treble response.

Never having owned the 4 wire version, I can only look at this compared to my Penon and XINHS 4 wire cables. And yes the sound has more low end and more focused mids, in a way more full and dynamic. The resolution and detail is also a step above my own coppers, stage deeper and more 3D. This cable also helps smooth out treble peaks, and if you have a bright cable it can help. But don't think the treble is reduced, it is just less grainy and more smooth.





Accessories and Presentation

I got the cables delivered in the full box set and not the normal review bags, sealed in plastic and totally fresh. The boxes of all the signature cables 8 wires have a nice clean design with the logo representing the cable inside. Ares S 8W a copper looking warrior with helmet, matching the cable perfectly. Cadmus 8W you see the head is in copper and helmet to shield him that is white, nice touch putting the silver plated copper design into the model logo. The EROS Anniversary 1st Edition is the only representation with the Eros Greek head in black, but again this represents the cable and looks also good while less flashy. The Eros also don't say anything on the front of the box what material it is, while this is clearly stated on Cadmus and Ares.

Opening up the lid you see the cable and splitter wrapped around the next layer in a beautiful presentation, the only thing making it look bad is the plastic cover on the splitter. But it's smart they do it to produce the splitter design so it doesn't get any marks.

There are not many accessories in the box, you get some papers with info about changing the modular pin system. You also get the cable tie that I really like, it looks thick and premium and suits the cable. There is also a pouch with the cable, this is quite small and I don't feel any use for it. Instead of the small pouch they should have included an IEM case with EA branding, large enough to fit the cables and an IEM.

I also got a set with MMCX connectors on the side, a small box with the tool and the pins.



Quality and Comfort

The cables look stunning all of the three, the Cadmus is maybe the one I would call the most beautiful. I am a lover of white cables and the Cadmus doesn't disappoint, braided perfectly with all 8 wires being the same, the braid is thick but quite flexible still.

The Ares is also beautiful, and has a clean copper design. Here half the wire is a different copper than the rest, it's also thinner wire than Cadmus and is slightly smaller. Only downside is that the braid has a tendency to not be as tightly braided as Cadmus, so when not straightened out you can see parts not being tight with half the wire.

Eros is black and has gold elements into the shielding, it also has an oily look to the outer layer. I find this cable very beautiful, and matches up perfectly in design with many IEMs I own. It is similar to Ares as being smaller in the braid and thickness than Cadmus, also having the same issue where some wires are not as tight.

The quality of the hardware is high level, splitters are beautifully crafted. Same for the plugs for the 4.4mm and the IEM side, the plug also has some nice weight to it not feeling cheap.
The 2 pin connectors have very nice thickness, not too loose and not too tight. I believe one of the included 2 pin connectors is slightly thicker, so some QC can maybe be improved. The mmcx is also very nice, not too thick or loose on the few IEMs I tried on.
The comfort of the Eros Anniversary is the most comfortable of them all, it's softer and smallest in the braid. This actually feels closer to some 4 wire cables I own, don't feel heavy or stiff making it very good for 8 wires.
Ares is also very good, just slightly behind the Eros. It's a little more stiff than Eros, but I still consider it daily comfortable to be 8 wire.
Cadmus is another story, it's more prone to memory and is also much thicker than the other two. It's still fairly comfortable when we look at how thick the wire is, some of this due to the ear guides.

I know many dislike ear guides on IEM cables, but here they work in your favour. They help lock the cables in place and provide a better seal with IEMs, just making it more secure. This can take down comfort if the IEM is pushed too strongly into your ear, what I did was just to undo some of the memory making them work better for me. And now I find the comfort of having ear guides on them good, and I may say these are some of the best ear guides I have tried on a cable.



IEM pairings



AüR Audio Aurora

The Aurora is a hybrid IEM with 2 DD and 6 BA. The sound of the Aurora is neutral with great extension in both the lowest and highest frequencies. Mids is in focus and is very clear on both instruments and vocals, there is no bass bleeding into mids. Bass is on the warm side with great nuance and impact, very good balance of decay and speed.
The upper mids and treble has no problem peaks and is also clear and relaxing at same time.
So the Aurora is neutral sounding with a slight bass warmth, making music sound very natural.

Going from the Ares S 8W to Eros S Anniversary, is perhaps the biggest sonic change I have tried when swapping cables on Aurora. The amount of fullness the Ares gives is quite impressive, everyone who lacks body to their Aurora should try this one.
The Eros S8 truly opens up the sound and makes it more clear and nuanced, it's already very refined and open sounding so this just adds to the characteristics of Aurora.

Cadmus is also nice, but I don't think it has as rich midrange as the Ares or Eros.





AüR Audio Neon Pro

The Neon Pro is a IEM with 10 BAs per side, the sound is so coherent I would have believed it was 1 driver. It has high sensitivity and very small impedance at 5ohm, so it's perfect to show cable differences.
The sound is neutral and warm with a slightly U shaped signature, more so with the switch on than without. Without it is actually very neutral sounding in all frequency ranges. I do not not notice any BA timbre, just a very natural sound.
The low end is also the best I have heard from a BA set, could have tricked me into believing it is DD. But it will always be a little fast compared to most dynamic drivers out there.

I have always preferred copper cables on Neon Pro, so what I am saying now is against what I usually do.
Eros S Anniversary is a clear favourite, it has perfect note weight and just adds to the resolution and stage. Never heard my NP this open and grand sounding, just a balanced and perfect cable for NP. Bear in mind I use the Neon Pro with the bass switch on.

Second best is Cadmus 8W, just a very good balance. But actually more hot up top than Eros S Anni, so here it depends how sensitive you are.

Ares S is also good, but mostly only for the switch off. Just add richness, but it is also the least open combination with NP.





AüR Audio Aure

The Aure is a hybrid IEM with 1 DD and 6 BA, tuned to be W shaped in its sound with spectacular mids. Bass is lush and a little slow in the decay, adding a more analog feel to it all. Mids are forward and slightly thick sounding, vocals are very in focus and have extra warmth. The high range is also a little forward and energetic, still not what I would call bright. But a clear treble that is not behind the rest, overall a tasteful and musical balance.
The dynamic driver is also full range and goes into both mids and treble, making it sound closer to a DD IEM than most other hybrids.

Soundstage is special, it's not super wide and deep. It puts you more inside the recording, letting everything appear around you.

The Cadmus S8 Wire is a good match for the Aure, it handles the mids the best of all of them. Just more in control and clear, better than both Eros and Ares.
Second best is going for Ares S 8wire, but this can be too thick sounding for this IEM. So also goes back to taste and music you listen to.
Did find Eros S too hot sounding, why it’s last when comparing here.






Penon Serial

The Serial has been a favourite IEM for me for a long while, it has 3 DDs per side. Sound is described as many things, analog and natural even. Slightly dark sounding, the bass and mids are forward and steals the focus. It is also on the slower side, so not the main set to use for super fast and technical music.
Soundstage is okay, and technicalities and resolution is also just average

Already knew beforehand what cable I would prefer from the Signature series, and that is the Eros S Anniversary. Penon Serial needs what it can get to open up the stage and treble more.
A good second option is the Cadmus, and is almost as good as Eros S. Cadmus has maybe the most balanced way for Serial without changing anything.





ISN EST50

The EST50 is a tribrid with a large DD, 2 BA and 2 ESTs. Sound is quite huge and also has some analog character like Serial, but is clearer and higher resolving. Bass is big, especially in the sub range. In a way this type of bass is my favourite, as it is boosted but less in mid bass than sub. Weakest part of EST50 is the mids, it lacks some magic and fullness. Treble on the other hand being clear and never peaky or aggressive.
Soundstage is very wide and holographic, not the deepest and goes more to the sides. Resolution is a mixed bag, I would say its average.

Due to this I prefer to have cables helping the mids forward, when looking at the Signature series then I like the Ares S 8W the most. Just seem to get off the bass and mids out in the mix, even if the EST50 don't need the extra bass from the copper.
Cadmus is my least favourite due to actually smoothing the mids more out, and Eros S seems better. Eros S has a good balance, but still thinks the added richness of the Ares is the way to go here.



634ears MIROAK-II

MIROAK-II is the newest model from 634ears, single dynamic driver config. Very special IEM that is handmade in Japan where you can choose the backplate material and wood type for the sound signature you want, or just for the look. Very organic sounding, it's natural on all the ranges with a smooth and fun sound. Have extra warmth to its low end that is very pleasing, and in harmony with clear treble that is not peaky.

Soundstage is wider and deeper than most single DDs I have tried, and has great layering and separation.

Ares S is my favourite, since this IEM is analogue sounding similar to Penon Serial but not dark. The added richness of Ares just gives it more note weight and fun factor, stage is not affected as much going for Eros S and Cadmus. So I value more just having the sound being big and fun, if you do move to Cadmus you get some more treble detail. Same when going to Eros S it's slightly more open up top, but I don't feel the need for this with MIROAK-II.

Also since Cadmus is a little more stiff and thick on the braid it's not as comfortable as the other two. More important on this IEM as it's not as snug fitting as my other models, but at same time the ear guides makes it be pushed correctly into the ear.






Sound Rhyme DTE900

Sound Rhyme DTE900 is the newest release from them, tribrid with 1DD, 4BA and 4EST. Sound is large and multi dimensional, slightly above most sets in resolution while staying on the fun side. Bass is a good mix of being boosted and fast, not bleeding too much into mids. Just give a slight boost to low mids like I prefer, vocals also very clear and present. Treble detailed while not being peaky, never sibilant.

This was hard, as all 3 are good with DTE900. Perhaps my favourite goes to Ares S as it's also expansive and clear sounding, just boosting the bass and low mids even more. For some this will be too much, I like that it adds to the character of the IEM instead of trying to change it.
Cadmus is also good and adds more treble presence and open sound, also Eros S takes it even a step higher.
So in the end are all super good upgrade cables for DTE900, and at the end of the review I have actually used Eros S the most.




Okavango

The Okavango has similarities to other IEMs I have as in being low end boosted with great mids and treble, it reminds me very much of a mix of Serial and Aure.
Soundstage is average and due to such warm sound it's not the most open sounding IEM out there. Very fun IEM, with maximum foot tapping factor and not being tiresome.

Both Cadmus 8W and Eros S Anniversary are best, and here I prefer Cadmus the most. It seems to have better mid control while keeping the treble more open and clear.
When listening to the midrange it seems to have a more natural presentation on Cadmus over Eros, so both vocals and instruments have that extra realism and presence.
It also keeps the low range full sounding, without being bloated.



Conclusion

This is the first time I have such expensive IEM cables from a more well known brand and not a small maker, the cables clearly show the cost in both presentation and quality. And you get a cable that is worth more over the cheaper offerings out there, so for many design and quality alone make this worth the price.

Cables is a very discussed topic, and while I do hear changes going from cable to cable I also doubt it to a small degree. But even so I appreciate the Signature cables a lot, and love the process of finding what cable suits which IEM.

While I wouldn't buy all three of the cables, buying one or two is something I could have done after having tried them now.

And if I have a clear favourite of them it's EROS S Anniversary for its technical and well rounded sound. Second is the Ares S 8W with its thick and fun sound, not lacking in technicalities either.
Last is the Cadmus, it's also extremely good and the most beautiful and premium feeling cable of the three.

If you're still here reading, you probably are not a cable sceptic. And if that's you, I have no problems recommending the cables. While I found this very hard to write about, I also enjoyed the experience trying to put my thoughts on paper. Thanks again to Effect Audio, now they are going on loan to a few audio friends to spread the Effect Audio taste.